Unsecured property rights to rural housing land (RHL) have impeded the development of the RHL market, resulting in inefficient rural land-use and resource allocation in China. The Chinese government implemented the rural land titling program as an institutional reform to provide rural households with secure property rights to RHL. The program has been implemented since 2011, yet its effects upon RHL transfers have not been adequately investigated through empirical studies. Here we conducted household surveys in 39 villages consisting of inner-s...