The finding comes in a UN-backed report that underscores the need for stronger political commitment and inclusive policies around land rights amid growing focus on climate change, biodiversity protection, gender equality and rural transformation.
Over the past two decades, governments have adopted national and international frameworks on issues such as land policy in Africa and responsible regulation of land, fisheries and forests – resulting in more than 70 countries undertaking efforts towards land reform.
‘Land insecurity’ and inequality
Yet, progress is lagging. Currently, the ownership, tenure or use rights of only 35 percent of the world’s land is formally documented, according to the report produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the French agricultural research and cooperation organization, CIRAD.
Further evidence includes the more than 1.1 billion people who feel “land-insecure” because they consider it likely or very likely that they could lose their homes or property in the coming years.
“Land insecurity is one of the most damaging forms of inequality, paid for in lower productivity, weaker resilience, and poorer nutrition,” said Maximo Torero Cullen, FAO Chief Economist.
“Secure land tenure enables sustainable investment and is the difference between short-term survival and long-term food security.”
Who owns land?
The Status of Land Tenure and Governance is described as the first comprehensive global stocktake designed to track how land is owned, used and governed.
It reveals that States have legal ownership of more than 64 per cent of land worldwide, although this includes customary land with designated tenure rights but without documented ownership.
Just over a quarter of all land is known to be privately owned – whether by individuals, companies or collectives. Tenure status regarding the remaining 10 per cent or so is unknown.
Specifically, around 18 percent of the world’s land, or 2.4 billion hectares, is owned by private individuals and corporations.
When agricultural land is considered – around 37 per cent of the global land area – the top 10 per cent of the largest landholders operate nearly 90 per cent of all land under cultivation.
Diverse ownership systems
The report also highlights how land tenure systems differ across regions.
For example:
- In sub-Saharan Africa, 73 per cent of land is held under customary tenure though only one per cent is formally recognised as such, while most is undocumented and under State ownership
- In North America, 32 per cent of land is privately owned
- In Latin America, 39 per cent
- In Europe, it’s 55 per cent, excluding Russia where State land dominates.
Indigenous Peoples, like this girl from the K’iche’ community in Guatemala, contribute their knowledge to combat climate change.
Indigenous Peoples and women
Moreover, although Indigenous Peoples and other holders of customary tenure rights occupy 5.5 billion hectares – 42 per cent of the world’s land – only a billion hectares are documented with clear ownership rights.
Data also shows that in almost all countries, women are less likely than men to own or have secure rights to land whether for housing or agriculture, underlining the importance of formal and legal documents for securing their land rights.
“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, and shows why secure land rights are foundational to achieving all three,” said Marcy Vigoda, the ILC Director.
According to custom
The report also provides a detailed examination of customary land systems, which are largely stewarded by Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and tribal groups.
Customary lands include forests, grasslands, wetlands and fisheries, and their governance – once regarded as archaic or a relic of the past – is increasingly viewed as vital for both people and the planet, given their contribution to biodiversity and climate action.
Roughly 4.2 billion hectares of customary land have been mapped worldwide, representing over 32 per cent of the Earth’s total land mass excluding Antarctica.
Carbon release alert
These territories “hold an estimated 45 gigatons of irrecoverable carbon – which cannot be put back in time to avoid climate damage, found mostly in forest biomes – or 37 percent of the global total,” FAO said.
In other words – any carbon released can’t be reabsorbed quickly enough to prevent increased global warming.
The UN agency noted that customary lands are increasingly under threat from human activity such as urban expansion, large-scale industrial agriculture, oil and gas extraction and mining.
“Paradoxically, some climate solutions geared to renewable energy, biofuels, conservation and carbon offsets are increasing such pressures, especially on lands which lack formal recognition or protections,” FAO added.