Poverty and living standards in Bulgan, Mongolia: official figures
38.7% of people in Bulgan lived below the poverty line in 2020, 4th highest of 22 (all of Mongolia: 27.8%); this is the share of the population counted as poor in the National Statistics Office poverty estimates.
Is poverty falling in Bulgan?
The poverty rate in Bulgan was 31.4% in 2016, 36.8% in 2018 and 38.7% in 2020, a rise of 7.3 percentage points over four years (all of Mongolia: 29.6%, 28.4% and 27.8%).
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow many people live in poverty in Bulgan?
Applying the 2020 poverty rate of 38.7% to the 2020 population of 62,054 suggests roughly 24,000 people in Bulgan lived below the poverty line (an estimate calculated from the two published figures).
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Bulgan?
The poverty gap, which shows how far below the poverty line poor people fall on average, was 10.2% in Bulgan in 2020, 6th highest of 22 (all of Mongolia: 7.4%); it was 7.0% in 2016.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow severe is poverty in Bulgan?
The poverty severity index, which gives more weight to the poorest households, was 3.9 in Bulgan in 2020 (all of Mongolia: 2.8); in 2016 it was 2.2.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow does poverty in Bulgan compare with the rest of its region?
Bulgan is in the NSO's Khangai region, where 31.4% of people lived below the poverty line in 2020 (33.6% in 2016); in Bulgan the rate was 38.7%.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow Bulgan compares with other aimags
Share of people below the poverty line (2020)
Bulgan ranks 4 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Govi-Altai | 42.4% |
| 2 | Govisumber | 39.8% |
| 3 | Khovd | 39.7% |
| 4 | Bulgan | 38.7% |
| 5 | Dornod | 37.1% |
| 6 | Khentii | 36.6% |
| 7 | Uvurkhangai | 36.2% |
Poverty gap (2020)
Bulgan ranks 6 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty gap |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Govisumber | 10.9% |
| 4 | Dornod | 10.7% |
| 5 | Khentii | 10.5% |
| 6 | Bulgan | 10.2% |
| 7 | Selenge | 9.4% |
| 8 | Uvurkhangai | 8.7% |
| 9 | Bayankhongor | 8.4% |
Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) (2016-2020)
Bulgan ranks 2 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundgovi | +7.8 points |
| 2 | Bulgan | +7.3 points |
| 3 | Uvs | +6.7 points |
| 4 | Khovd | +2.9 points |
| 5 | Tuv | +2.0 points |
| 6 | Umnugovi | +1.0 points |
| 7 | Ulaanbaatar | +0.6 points |
More on Bulgan: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Mongolia
Sources
- National Statistics Office of Mongolia: Poverty main indicators by aimags and region, 2016-2020: headcount, gap and severity (table DT_NSO_1900_035V1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ceefd45c6947…)
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