In this brief, the authors focus on land degradation’s underlying causes, which lend themselves more to modification and intervention, and pay particular attention to the relationships between land degradation and three of its major underlying causes—population density, poverty, and government effectiveness. Some of their findings challenge conventional wisdom: for example, at the global level and in certain regions (including East Asia and the Middle East), the negative correlation between population density and land degradation reflects the idea that more people means less erosion. Other results, such as the positive correlation between poverty (measured by the mortality rate of children under five) and land degradation, were expected. Also, the strong correlation between government effectiveness and land degradation underscores the important role institutions play in land management.