Divide in the Fields: A Study of Global Agricultural Land Inequality
Conference
10th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics
Format: CPS Paper - ICAS 2026
Keywords: inequality, land, survey
Abstract
Agricultural land inequality affects rural development and constrains economic growth and poverty reduction, yet comprehensive global datasets to monitor it have been lacking. This study introduces the Global database of land distribution and inequality (LINEQ), which integrates agricultural census, survey data, and earth observation-based proxies for land quality to provide a more nuanced and cross-country comparable measurement of land inequality. Expanding traditional indicators like the land operated Gini coefficient, we incorporate measures that account for tenure rights, potential productivity differences, and landless populations. Our findings reveal that global land inequality is higher than previously estimated, with Latin America and Oceania exhibiting the highest disparities, while Africa and Asia show lower levels. Over time, land inequality has declined in Africa but increased sharply in North America and Europe. The inclusion of tenure rights amplifies inequality estimates, whereas landless populations have a lesser impact.
Figures/Tables
ICAS1
ICAS2
ICAS3
