Poverty and living standards in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: official figures
25.4% of people in Ulaanbaatar lived below the poverty line in 2020, 7th lowest 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 Ulaanbaatar?
The poverty rate in Ulaanbaatar was 24.8% in 2016, 25.9% in 2018 and 25.4% in 2020, a rise of 0.6 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 Ulaanbaatar?
Applying the 2020 poverty rate of 25.4% to the 2020 population of 1,603,243 suggests roughly 407,200 people in Ulaanbaatar 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 Ulaanbaatar?
The poverty gap, which shows how far below the poverty line poor people fall on average, was 7.0% in Ulaanbaatar in 2020, 8th lowest of 22 (all of Mongolia: 7.4%); it was 6.4% in 2016.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow severe is poverty in Ulaanbaatar?
The poverty severity index, which gives more weight to the poorest households, was 2.8 in Ulaanbaatar in 2020 (all of Mongolia: 2.8); in 2016 it was 2.5.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow does poverty in Ulaanbaatar compare with the rest of the country?
Ulaanbaatar is counted as a region of its own in the NSO poverty tables: 25.4% of its people lived below the poverty line in 2020, against 27.8% for Mongolia.
Source: National Statistics Office of Mongolia · saved copyHow Ulaanbaatar compares with other capital cities
Share of people below the poverty line (2020)
Ulaanbaatar ranks 16 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Zavkhan | 29.2% |
| 14 | Darkhan-Uul | 26.7% |
| 15 | Khuvsgul | 26.0% |
| 16 | Ulaanbaatar | 25.4% |
| 17 | Sukhbaatar | 24.3% |
| 18 | Orkhon | 23.7% |
| 19 | Bayan-Ulgii | 22.8% |
Poverty gap (2020)
Ulaanbaatar ranks 15 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Poverty gap |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Arkhangai | 7.9% |
| 13 | Zavkhan | 7.5% |
| 14 | Darkhan-Uul | 7.4% |
| 15 | Ulaanbaatar | 7.0% |
| 16 | Khuvsgul | 6.5% |
| 17 | Orkhon | 6.2% |
| 18 | Sukhbaatar | 5.7% |
Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) (2016-2020)
Ulaanbaatar ranks 7 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Change in poverty rate, 2016 to 2020 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Khovd | +2.9 points |
| 5 | Tuv | +2.0 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 |
More on Ulaanbaatar: overview · economy and jobs · 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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