Poverty and living standards in Govi-Altai, Mongolia: official figures
42.4% of people in Govi-Altai lived below the poverty line in 2020, the 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 Govi-Altai?
The poverty rate in Govi-Altai was 43.3% in 2016, 45.1% in 2018 and 42.4% in 2020, a fall of 0.9 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 Govi-Altai?
Applying the 2020 poverty rate of 42.4% to the 2020 population of 57,825 suggests roughly 24,500 people in Govi-Altai 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 Govi-Altai?
The poverty gap, which shows how far below the poverty line poor people fall on average, was 11.9% in Govi-Altai in 2020, the highest of 22 (all of Mongolia: 7.4%); it was 12.2% in 2016.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow severe is poverty in Govi-Altai?
The poverty severity index, which gives more weight to the poorest households, was 4.7 in Govi-Altai in 2020 (all of Mongolia: 2.8); in 2016 it was 4.7.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow does poverty in Govi-Altai compare with the rest of its region?
Govi-Altai is in the NSO's Western region, where 31.5% of people lived below the poverty line in 2020 (36.0% in 2016); in Govi-Altai the rate was 42.4%.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow Govi-Altai compares with other aimags
Share of people below the poverty line (2020)
Govi-Altai ranks 1 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)
Govi-Altai ranks 1 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Govi-Altai | 11.9% |
| 2 | Khovd | 10.9% |
| 3 | Govisumber | 10.9% |
| 4 | Dornod | 10.7% |
| 5 | Khentii | 10.5% |
| 6 | Bulgan | 10.2% |
| 7 | Selenge | 9.4% |
Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) (2016-2020)
Govi-Altai ranks 9 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Umnugovi | +1.0 points |
| 7 | Ulaanbaatar | +0.6 points |
| 8 | Orkhon | +0.2 points |
| 9 | Govi-Altai | -0.9 points |
| 10 | Selenge | -2.4 points |
| 11 | Bayankhongor | -3.1 points |
| 12 | Khuvsgul | -3.1 points |
More on Govi-Altai: 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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