<p>This paper introduces a new generalization of Dagum distribution called the Harris extended Dagum distribution. Alternative representations of the proposed distribution have been introduced to facilitate easier calculations. We have derived important distribution properties, such as the expression for mean, variance, characteristic function, moment generating function, skewness and kurtosis, entropy measures etc. To identify the effectiveness of the proposed distribution, we have estimated its parameters using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method and tested their accuracy with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Finally, we have applied the proposed distribution to two real-world datasets and compared its performance to other competing distributions. Our results reveal that the newly proposed distribution is more adaptable and effective than other competing distributions.</p>