Measuring global perceptions of land and property rights

Explore the latest Prindex 2024 data from 108 countries to understand global trends in land and housing security.

A growing crisis in land and housing security

The 2024 Prindex Report reveals a sharp rise in insecurity around land and housing rights. Today, 1.1 billion adults—23% of the adult population in 108 countries surveyed—feel uncertain about their rights to property or land, with the situation worsening over the last four years, particularly in East Asia, the Pacific, and North America.

This global study uncovers the root causes behind these fears and highlights the growing gap between policy goals, like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 1.4), and the harsh reality faced by millions. Without action, securing equal land and housing rights by 2030 is increasingly at risk. The report calls for urgent global efforts to protect these rights.

Tracking global perceptions of tenure security

Prindex provides a clear view of how secure people feel about their land and homes, helping governments, organizations, and advocates identify vulnerable groups and guide policy reforms. When people are unsure about their property rights, it limits their ability to invest, plan, and contribute to society—widening inequalities and slowing economic progress.

How Prindex measures tenure security

With data from 108 countries and over 107,000 interviews, Prindex tracks changes in tenure insecurity between 2020 and 2024, representing 87% of the global adult population. This unique methodology goes beyond traditional surveys by including women, youth, and non-property owners, ensuring a diverse and inclusive picture of land and housing rights.

At the core is a simple yet powerful question: In the next five years, how likely or unlikely is it that you could lose the right to use this property, or part of this property, against your will? Those at risk are classified as having insecure tenure and asked to explain their concerns.

Prindex’s methodology, developed with leading academics and rigorously tested, provides reliable, actionable insights into the factors driving tenure insecurity worldwide.

Transforming Lives with Secure Land Rights: Data, Stories, and Action

Access Global Data

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Global Tenure Security Report: A Call to Action

In a rapidly changing world, secure access to land and housing is a critical pillar of human rights and economic stability. However, recent data from the 2024 PRINDEX report reveal alarming trends in global tenure insecurity. Surveying 108 countries and representing nearly 5 billion people, the report highlights a sharp rise in the number of adults feeling insecure about their property rights—23%, up from 19% in 2020. This troubling increase underscores the urgent need for policy intervention.

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Prindex Comparative Report 2020

The culmination of over five years of work to develop and apply the Prindex methodology, this report presents the first ever comparable assessment of perceived tenure security that is truly global, with data from more than 140 countries, representing 96% of the world’s adult population. (Updated August 2020)

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Indicateurs et agenda des droits fonciers dans les défis de développement de l’Afrique subsaharienne

Ce rapport met en lumière le rôle essentiel de la sécurisation des droits fonciers pour relever six défis de développement clés auxquels l'Afrique subsaharienne est confrontée en 2022.

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Land tenure security in Latin America: a post-pandemic land rights agenda

Outlining an agenda for improving the security of rights to land and housing in support of an inclusive,
sustainable economic reactivation of the Latin American region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Seguridad de la Tenencia de la Tierra en América Latina: una agenda pospandemia de derechos de la tierra

Esbozar una agenda para mejorar la seguridad de los derechos a la tierra y la vivienda en apoyo de una sociedad inclusiva, reactivación económica sostenible de la región latinoamericana tras la pandemia del COVID-19.

Stories and News

Stay informed with the latest stories, insights, and updates from around the world. Discover how land and housing rights are evolving, explore personal experiences from the most affected communities, and follow the global actions being taken to address tenure insecurity.

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Tenure insecurity on the rise: 1.1 billion people at risk, Prindex report warns

At the Rome launch of the Global Comparative Report on Security of Property Rights for Land and Housing in 2024 presented by Prindex initiative on October 22, alarming new data revealed that 1.1 billion people worldwide feel insecure about their property rights, reflecting an escalating global crisis in housing and land tenure.

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New global data from 108 countries reveals increasing tenure insecurity – urgent policy action required

The latest global assessment of land and housing tenure security reveals alarming trends. According to the 2024 Prindex Report, approximately 1.1 billion adults worldwide—23% of the adult population in 108 countries surveyed—feel insecure about their rights to property or land.

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Launch of Prindex Report on global tenure security and property rights

Save the date! Launch of Prindex Report on global tenure security and property rights Date: 22 October 2024 Time: 17:00 - 18:00 CET Language: This event will take place in English

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