As of 2026-10-12, Caspian Sea tops the list with 1,025 m.
- #1 Caspian Sea — 1,025 m
largest landlocked salt lake, located between Europe and Asia
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, also described as the world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it is situated in both Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, south of the fertile plains of Southern Russia in Eastern Europe, and north of the mountainous Iranian Plateau. It covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,244 sq mi), an area similar to Japan, with a volume of... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 Issyk-Kul — 668 m
lake in Kyrgyzstan
Ysyk-Köl is an endorheic saline lake in the western Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan—just south of a dividing range separating Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan. It is the eighth-deepest lake in the world, the eleventh-largest lake in the world by volume, and the second-largest saline lake. It is located at an elevation of 1,607 metres (5,272 ft). Despite the elevation and low temperatures during winter, it rarely freezes due to its high salinity. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Dead Sea — 360 m
lake with no outflow (sea) in Western Asia
The Dead Sea, also known by other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Lake Turkana — 109 m
alkaline lake on the border of Ethiopia and Kenya
Lake Turkana is a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, predominantly in northern Kenya; the far northern end crosses into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea, Issyk-Kul, and Lake Van, and among all lakes it ranks 22nd. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Lake Valencia — 75 m
endorheic basin
Lake Valencia, formerly Lake Tacarigua, is a lake within Carabobo State and Aragua State in northern Venezuela. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Lake Vanda — 69 m
meromictic lake
Lake Vanda is a lake in Wright Valley, Victoria Land, Ross Dependency, Antarctica. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) long and has a maximum depth of 69 m (226 ft). On its shore, New Zealand maintained Vanda Station from 1968 to 1995. Lake Vanda is a meromictic lake, which means that the deeper waters of the lake do not mix with the shallower waters. It contains an upper layer of cold freshwater to a depth of around 55 metres, below which lies a warm hypersaline layer with a salinity more than ten... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Lake Balkhash — 25 m
lake in southeastern Kazakhstan
Lake Balkhash, also known as Lake Balqash, is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan. It is one of the largest lakes in Asia and the 15th largest in the world. It is located in the eastern part of Central Asia and sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin. The basin drains seven rivers, the primary of which is the Ili, bringing most of the riparian inflow; others, such as the Karatal, bring surface and subsurface flow. The Ili is fed by precipitation, largely vernal snowmelt,... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Qinghai Lake — 21 m
lake in Qinghai, China
Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China. Located in the Qinghai Province, to which it gave its name, Qinghai Lake is classified as an alkaline endorheic salt lake. The lake has fluctuated in size, shrinking over much of the 20th century but increasing since 2004. It had a surface area of 4,317 km2 (1,667 sq mi), an average depth of 21 m (69 ft), and a maximum depth of 25.5 m (84 ft) in 2008. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Lake Assal — 20 m
crater lake in Djibouti
Lake Assal is a crater lake in central-western Djibouti. It is located at the western end of Gulf of Tadjoura between Arta Region, and Tadjoura Region, touching Dikhil Region, at the top of the Great Rift Valley, some 120 km (75 mi) west of Djibouti city. Lake Assal is a saline lake that lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level in the Afar Triangle, making it the lowest point on land in Africa and the third-lowest point on Earth after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. No outflow occurs from... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Mono Lake — 17 m
endorheic lake in California
Mono Lake is a saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake which make its water alkaline. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata