Poverty and living standards in Selenge, Mongolia: official figures
34.0% of people in Selenge lived below the poverty line in 2020, 9th 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 Selenge?
The poverty rate in Selenge was 36.4% in 2016, 34.0% in 2018 and 34.0% in 2020, a fall of 2.4 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 Selenge?
Applying the 2020 poverty rate of 34.0% to the 2020 population of 109,532 suggests roughly 37,200 people in Selenge 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 Selenge?
The poverty gap, which shows how far below the poverty line poor people fall on average, was 9.4% in Selenge in 2020, 7th highest of 22 (all of Mongolia: 7.4%); it was 11.0% in 2016.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow severe is poverty in Selenge?
The poverty severity index, which gives more weight to the poorest households, was 3.7 in Selenge in 2020 (all of Mongolia: 2.8); in 2016 it was 4.6.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow does poverty in Selenge compare with the rest of its region?
Selenge is in the NSO's Central region, where 25.2% of people lived below the poverty line in 2020 (26.8% in 2016); in Selenge the rate was 34.0%.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow Selenge compares with other aimags
Share of people below the poverty line (2020)
Selenge ranks 9 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Khentii | 36.6% |
| 7 | Uvurkhangai | 36.2% |
| 8 | Bayankhongor | 35.7% |
| 9 | Selenge | 34.0% |
| 10 | Arkhangai | 32.7% |
| 11 | Uvs | 30.9% |
| 12 | Dundgovi | 30.7% |
Poverty gap (2020)
Selenge ranks 7 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty gap |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Dornod | 10.7% |
| 5 | Khentii | 10.5% |
| 6 | Bulgan | 10.2% |
| 7 | Selenge | 9.4% |
| 8 | Uvurkhangai | 8.7% |
| 9 | Bayankhongor | 8.4% |
| 10 | Dundgovi | 8.4% |
Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) (2016-2020)
Selenge ranks 10 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage 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 |
| 13 | Dornogovi | -3.4 points |
More on Selenge: 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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