Progress
On track or target met
On track or target met

Desired direction: Increase

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Headline data

Extent to which the legal framework guarantees women's equal rights to own or control land
Year Value Units
2015 6 Index
2016 6 Index
2017 6 Index
2018 6 Index
2019 6 Index
2020 6 Index
2021 6 Index
2022 6 Index
2023 6 Index
2024 6 Index

Geographical Area:

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

Methodological sheet of the indicator available for the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Available indicator

Extent to which the legal framework guarantees women’s equal rights to own or control land
Target

5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
Goal

5- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Definition

Extent to which the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to own or control land, measured by assessing six proxies.
Theoretical formula \[MJDMPT^{t} = \begin{cases} 1 & \text{If none of the proxies are present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \\ 2 & \text{If one of the proxies is present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \\ 3 & \text{If two of the proxies are present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \\ 4 & \text{If three of the proxies are present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \\ 5 & \text{If four of the proxies are present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \\ 6 & \text{If five or six of the proxies are present in the legislation in the year 𝑡} \end{cases}\]
Frequency

Annual
Observations

The indicator “measures” the level to which a country’s legal framework supports women’s land rights, by testing that framework against six proxies drawn from international law and internationally accepted good practices, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of the Tenure of Land Fisheries and Forestry (VGGT):

  • Proxy A: Joint registration of land is compulsory or encouraged through economic incentives
  • Proxy B: Compulsory spousal consent for land transactions
  • Proxy C: Women’s and girls’ equal inheritance rights
  • Proxy D: Allocation of financial resources to increase women’s ownership and control over land
  • Proxy E: In legal systems that recognize customary land tenure, the existence of explicit protection of the land rights of women
  • Proxy F: Mandatory quotas for women’s participation in land management and administration institutions
Data last updated 2025/05/08
Metadata last updated 2025/06/18

Source 1

Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes
Organisation Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes
Periodicity Annual

This section provides more information about the United Nations indicator or the European Union Sustainable Development Indicator, such as its rationale, international results, metadata, and other relevant statistics.

Rationale

Indicator 5.a.2 measures the extent to which countries’ legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control.

The focus on land of Indicator 5.a.2 reflects the recognition that land is a key economic resource inextricably linked to access to, use of and control over other economic and productive resources. It is a key input for agricultural production; it can facilitate access to financial and extension services or to join producer organisations. Moreover, it can generate income directly if rented or sold.

It also acknowledges that women’s ownership of and/or control of land is critical for poverty reduction, food security, inclusiveness and overall sustainable development objectives. Finally, gender equality in land ownership and control is a human right. For example, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees equality between women and men, and prohibits discrimination based on sex in Article 2.

Article 26 of the ICCPR enshrines equality before the law and can be applied to defend women’s right to non-discrimination and equality, including economic and social rights. Further, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), emphasizes that discrimination against women “violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity”.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division
Comparability between the available indicator and the UN indicator

The available indicator complies with United Nations metadata.
International results

Degree to which the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control (1=No evidence to 6=Highest levels of guarantees) SG_LGL_LNDFEMOD UNSTATS
Link to UN metadata

Metadata 5-a-2.pdf
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