While progress has occurred over two decades, formal documentation exists for only 35 percent of the world’s total land area. Consequently, billions of hectares remain legally ambiguous or undocumented according to the Status of Land Tenure and Governance report. This study was released today by the FAO, the International Land Coalition, and the research organization CIRAD.
Furthermore, this lack of documentation creates significant hurdles for responsible land governance and long-term environmental sustainability. Experts suggest that stronger political commitment is now necessary to close this dangerous documentation gap across every continent.
The Rising Fear of Losing Homes and Land
Approximately 1.1 billion people, or one in four adults, fear losing their land or housing within five years. This number has risen notably recently, highlighting a growing crisis of insecurity for families around the globe today. Tenure security acts as a crucial catalyst for stability and gives people the confidence to invest in their properties.
However, land insecurity remains a damaging form of inequality that results in lower productivity and poorer national nutrition. Chief Economist Maximo Torero Cullen emphasizes that secure tenure is the foundation for long-term food security for everyone.
Mapping the Current State of Ownership
States currently hold legal ownership of more than 64 percent of land worldwide, which includes various customary land rights. Meanwhile, private individuals, companies, or collectives own a little more than a quarter of all global land area. Specifically, private individuals and corporations own around 18 percent of the world’s land, totaling 2.4 billion hectares.
For the remaining 10 percent of land, the tenure status remains completely unknown to international and local authorities. This lack of data hampers effective climate action and makes biodiversity protection much more difficult to achieve.
Inequality in Agricultural Land Distribution
The report also highlights a massive disparity in how the world’s agricultural land is currently being operated. Globally, the top 10 percent of the largest landholders operate 89 percent of all agricultural land in aggregate. Consequently, small-scale farmers and young people are often excluded from the most productive regions of the planet today.
This reality undermines gender equality and makes rural transformation a difficult goal for many developing nations to reach. Providing secure land rights to these excluded groups is foundational to achieving global climate and biodiversity targets.
Regional Variations in Global Land Management
Land tenure systems vary enormously across different global regions today. In sub-Saharan Africa, 73 percent of land follows customary tenure patterns. However, only 1 percent of this land currently has formal government recognition. Meanwhile, state-owned land dominates in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia at 51 percent. In contrast, private ownership accounts for 55 percent of land across Europe. These statistics reveal a complex and inconsistent patchwork of land control worldwide.
The Documentation Gap and Environmental Risks
Indigenous Peoples currently occupy 42 percent of the world’s total land area. Nevertheless, only 8 percent of this land has clear, documented ownership rights. Consequently, over a third of the world’s stored carbon remains in a state of legal limbo. This lack of documentation also puts 40 percent of our intact forests at significant risk. Therefore, formalising these rights is essential for protecting the planet’s most vital carbon hotspots.
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Inequality in Gender and Farm Operations
Men are significantly more likely than women to own or have secure land rights. In nearly half of all surveyed countries, the gender gap exceeds 20 percentage points. Furthermore, the world’s largest farms operate more than half of all global farmland. Conversely, 85 percent of the world’s farmers manage less than two hectares each. These small-scale farmers control only 9 percent of the total global farmland area.
The Role of Customary Lands in Climate Action
Customary lands steward an estimated 45 gigatons of irrecoverable carbon within their forest biomes. This amount represents 37 percent of the global total of stored carbon. Despite their importance, these territories face growing pressures from urban expansion and large-scale mining. Paradoxically, some renewable energy and carbon offset projects also increase pressure on undocumented lands. Protecting these areas is crucial for meeting international biodiversity and climate goals.
Expert Q&A: The Importance of Land Security
Q: Why is land tenure security considered so important for the environment?
A: Secure rights allow for better decision-making about land use, which enables more environmentally sustainable and productive outcomes.
Q: Who are the most excluded groups in current land governance?
A: Women and young people remain among the most excluded, which significantly undermines global food security and climate action.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many people currently fear losing their land?
Some 1.1 billion people, or nearly one in four adults, believe they could lose their land within five years.
Who produced the new land tenure report?
The report was produced by the FAO, the International Land Coalition (ILC), and the research organization CIRAD.
What percentage of land is owned by states?
States have legal ownership of more than 64 percent of land worldwide, including customary lands without formal documentation.
How does land insecurity affect nutrition?
Land insecurity leads to lower productivity and weaker resilience, which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for vulnerable populations.
What is the “First Schedule” of land tenure tracking?
The report is the first comprehensive global stocktake designed specifically to track how land is owned, used, and governed.