A staggering 1.1 billion people worldwide-nearly one in four adults-fear they could be deprived of their land or housing rights within the next five years, a new global report has revealed. This growing sense of insecurity comes as the study, released today, shows that ownership rights for 65 percent of the world”s land remain formally undocumented.
According to a report by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
today, the landmark report, “Status of Land Tenure and Governance”, is the first comprehensive global assessment of its kind, produced jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Land Coalition (ILC), and the French agricultural research and cooperation organisation, CIRAD.
It underscores that while some progress in establishing land tenure security has been made at policy levels over the past 20 years, its impact on the ground has been exceedingly slow, demanding stronger political commitment.
‘Land insecurity is one of the most damaging forms of inequality, paid for in lower productivity, weaker resilience, and poorer nutrition,’ said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero Cullen. ‘Secure land tenure enables sustainable investment and is the difference between short-term survival and long-term food security.’
The findings indicate that states hold legal ownership of over 64 percent of the planet”s land, a figure that includes vast tracts of customary territories lacking formal documentation. In contrast, just over a quarter of all land is known to be privately owned, with approximately 18 percent held by individuals and corporations. The tenure status for the remaining 10 percent is unknown.
A stark disparity exists in agricultural land distribution. The world”s largest farms, those over 1,000 hectares, operate more than half of all farmland. Conversely, 85 percent of the world”s farmers manage small holdings of less than two hectares, which collectively account for just 9 percent of global farmland.
‘Too many people still live with the fear of losing their land and homes, with women and young people remaining among the most excluded – a reality that undermines food security, climate action and biodiversity protection,’ stated Marcy Vigoda, Director of the International Land Coalition.
Land tenure systems vary enormously by region. In sub-Saharan Africa, 73 percent of land is held under customary tenure, yet only 1 percent is formally recognised as such. State-owned land dominates in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia at 51 percent, while private ownership is most prevalent in Europe at 55 percent (excluding the Russian Federation).
A critical gap exists between occupation and legal protection for Indigenous Peoples and other customary rights holders. While these groups occupy 42 percent of the world’s land (5.5 billion hectares), only 8 percent (one billion hectares) has clearly documented ownership rights. This legal ambiguity places over a third of the world”s stored carbon and 40 percent of its intact forests at risk.
The analysis also confirms a persistent gender gap, with men more likely than women to own or have secure rights to land in almost all countries providing data. In nearly half of these nations, the disparity exceeds 20 percentage points.
Customary lands are facing growing pressures from urban expansion, infrastructure, industrial agriculture, and mining. The report highlights a paradox where some climate solutions, such as renewable energy projects and carbon offsets, are increasing these pressures on territories lacking formal protection.
Environmental concerns are also driving new large-scale land acquisitions. The report references a warning that national net-zero pledges imply land-based carbon removals requiring an area nearly the size of all global cropland.
‘When we generate evidence with and for all stakeholders, we create the foundation for stronger, more transparent, and more equitable public policies,’ commented Sélim Louafi, Deputy Director for Research and Strategy at CIRAD.