Five things to know about land property rights in East Asia and the Pacific | Land Portal

Earlier in the year Prindex – the first ever global measure of land and property rights – released its full 140-country dataset. The results are sobering. Almost 1 billion people around the world feel it is likely or very likely that they will lose their land or home within the next five years. 

As a part of the initiatives efforts to examine the contours of this insecurity, Prindex is hosting a series of online events that focus on a particular region. These are not only a chance to take a closer look at Prindex data, but also to link up with land experts in the region to share experiences and create strategies for change. 

With the first regional event focused on East Asia and the Pacific kicking off last week, here are five things Prindex data can tell us about land and property rights in the region.


1. There are more people living in East Asia and the Pacific that feel insecure than in any other region

 

The populous region is home to more people who feel insecure than any other: an estimated 275 million people feel it is likely or very likely that they will be pushed off their land or lose their home in the next five years.

As a proportion of the population, however, insecurity in East Asia and the Pacific is actually lower than in the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

 

2. Levels of insecurity vary widely in the region

The region is home to some of the most insecure countries in the world – and some of the least. Nearly half of all adults living in the Philippinesfear losing their home or land, twelve times the rate in Singapore, where 4% of people feel insecure. 

But such topline figures don’t tell the full story.  The data also reveal that, across all countries, certain groups face far higher levels of insecurity than others.  

 

3. Renters are far more likely than owners to feel insecure

A much higher proportion of renters feel insecure than owners. This finding persists across countries with high levels of overall insecurity as well as those with relatively lower levels. In China, people who rent are five times as likely to feel insecure than those who own; in Australia, renters are ten times as likely!  

 

4. Young people are particularly vulnerable

Young adults in the region are more likely to feel insecure than older people: 22% of those under 25 years old feel insecure compared to 12% of those over 65. 

Yet this varies from country to country: the gap is relatively wide in Malaysiaand New Zealand; but is small to non-existent in China,South Korea, and Singapore. In Viet Nam, a slightly higher proportion of older people than younger people feel insecure. 

 

5. The gap in perceived insecurity between high- and low-income groups is wider in wealthier countries

People facing difficulty in terms of their income are more likely to be insecure than those who are comfortable. Yet gaps in the levels of insecurity between high- and low-income groups tend to be much wider in high-income countries than middle-income countries. 

In Japan, for example, people facing difficulty due to low earnings are three times as likely to feel insecure as those that are comfortable. Other the other hand, in CambodiaMalaysia, and Indonesiathe difference in less than 5%.

 

A look at other regions

Interested to learn more about what Prindex data has to say about land and property rights in other regions? Sign-up to join the online multi-lingual events taking place over the next month:

Land and property rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: What can perceptions data tell us about tenure security?(in Spanish,Portuguese, and English)
24 November, 9.00 - 11.00 am Colombia Standard Time (UTC -5)

Measuring land insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa: from evidence to action(in French and English) 
2 December 10:00 am - 12:00 pm UTC

Land and property rights in the Middle East and North Africa: how data can drive change(in Arabic and English) 8 December 2020, 1.30 - 3.00pm Egypt time (+2 ETC)