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• Mongolia
  • General Information
    • Introduction
    • Geography
    • Socio-economic Profile
    • Government
    • National Social Welfare System
    • Education Profile
    • Health Profile
    • ICT
  • Current Situation of Persons with Disabilities
  • The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012
  • Profile of Disability-related Organizations

1. General/Basic Information

1.1 Introduction

Mongolia is a landlocked country, with an extreme continental climate-long cold winters and short hot summers. The extremes of temperature, the lack of rainfall, the lack of fresh water in the east and south, and the volcanic nature of the mountain areas pose great difficulties for human habitation. On the other hand, Mongolia has over 260 sunny days per year and considers itself the "Land of the Blue Sky." Official statistics classify only about 1 percent of the land as arable, 8-10 percent as forest and the rest, excluding the mountain areas, as pasture or dessert.

Because of climatic conditions, Mongolia's traditional pattern of livelihood has been based on a nomadic herding economy and the population has always been small. However, the government policy of encouraging population growth coupled with great attempts to modernize and increase the amount of land under cultivation has made today's population of over 2 million. Particularly important in this growth is a low death rate caused by improved public health and medical services, and government rewards to large families.

1.2 Geography

Mongolia is located in the center of Asia and covers an area of 1.5 million square kilometers. Mongolia has three major mountain ranges. The highest is the Altai Mountains, which stretch across the western and the southwestern regions of the country on a northwest-to-southeast axis. Overall, Mongolian terrain slopes from the high Altai Mountains of the west and the north to plains and depressions in the east and the south; in extreme western Mongolia, Hutyen Orgil (where the Mongolian, the Soviet, and the Chinese borders meet) is the highest point (4,374 meters); the lowest is 560 meters in the eastern plain; and the country has an average elevation of 1,580 meters.

The rivers drain in three directions: north to the Arctic Ocean, east to the Pacific, or south to the deserts and the depressions of Inner Asia. The landscape also includes one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes (Hovsgol Nuur), many salt lakes, marshes, sand dunes, rolling grasslands, alpine forests, and permanent glaciers. Northern and western Mongolia are seismically active zones, with frequent earthquakes and many hot springs and extinct volcanoes.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand

1.3 Socio-economic Profile

Demographics

Ethnic Mongols account for about 85% of the population and consist of Khalkha and other groups, all distinguished primarily by dialects of the Mongol language; The Khalkha make up 90% of the ethnic Mongol population. The remaining 10% include Durbet Mongols and others in the north and Dariganga Mongols in the east. Turkic speakers (Kazakhs, Turvins, and Khotans) constitute 7% of Mongolia's population, and the rest are Tungusic-speakers. In addition, there are some 3.5 million Mongols in China (Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Xingjian), and about 500,000 in Russia.

Population

Mongolia had a population density of 2 people per km²; nearly half of the people (57%) live in Ulaanbaatar (capital), and in other provincial centers. With a midyear 2004 population of 2.5 millions, the annual growth rate was about 1.1 percent, and was estimated to be 2.7 millions in midyear 2005. Mongolia's birth rate was estimated at 21.52 births/1,000 population in 2005, and the sex ratio of total population was 1 male/female. The median age was 23.7 years, and was estimated to be 25.6 years in 2010. In 2005, life expectancy was 54.52 years; 0-14 years: 28.7% (male 407,547/female 392,440); 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 943,418/female 945,063); 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 44,413/female 58,391).

Source: CIA World Factbook

Source: CIA World Factbook

Source: CIA World Factbook

Source: CIA World Factbook

Labor Force

In 2003, the total labor force aged 15 to 64 totaled 1.488 million, with unemployment rate at 6.7%. Herding/Agriculture allocates the largest part of labor force (42%); Services at 29%, and Trade at 14%, respectively.

Labor Force by Occupation (2003)

Herding/agriculture	42.0%
Mining	4.0%
Manufacturing	6.0%
Trade	14.0%
Services	29.0%
Public sector	5.0%
Other	3.7%

Source: CIA World Factbook

Source: CIA World Factbook

Poverty Levels

According to National Statiscal Office (NSO) carried out the second the Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) in 1998, the poverty line on the basis of expenditure instead of income, adopting the World Bank method, was 14,674 Tuglik per month per person, equivalent to 0.58 US dollar per day (based on the 1998 exchange rate); Population below poverty line fell from 40% in 1999 to 36.1% in 2004.

Population below poverty line

Year	%
1999	40
2000	40
2001	36
2003	33
2004	36.1

Source: CIA World Factbook

Economic Indicators

Mongolia was hit by consecutive severe winter disasters (dzud) in 1999 and 2000, with an intervening drought. The dzud of 2000 alone affected around 300,000 people, or 13.6 percent of the population. In 2000, the agriculture sector, which accounts for about one-third of total gross domestic product (GDP), contracted by 16.8 percent.

The nonagricultural sectors, however, registered an impressive growth of 13 percent in 2000. The strength of the nonagricultural sectors has helped maintain the overall GDP growth positive at a modest rate of 1.1 percent in 2000, compared with 3.5 percent in 1998 and 3.2 percent in 1999. Given the population growth of 1.4 percent registered for 2000, this, however, indicates a decline of real per capita GDP in Mongolia. To address the declining trend in growth, the Government has accorded priority to restoring macroeconomic stability.

In the long run, Mongolia's economic prospects will depend on how well the country can diversify its economic base to maximize its potential in the global economy. In the short run, however, the country's future depends largely on the Government's success in restoring macroeconomic stability and establishing a regulatory and institutional framework conducive to sustainable private sector-led growth.

Source: CIA World Factbook

1.4 Government

Until May 1990, the Mongolian Government was modeled on the old Soviet Communist system. The period of transition from a one-party rule political system to a parliament functioning on a standing basis continued from December of 1990 to July of 1992.

The People's Great Hural began discussing a new Constitution of Mongolia in November 1991 (later been put in effect from February 12, 1992). The new constitution established Mongolia as an independent, sovereign republic and guaranteed a number of rights and freedoms. It also restructured the legislative power with the State Great Khural, and the President of Mongolia is the leader of the state securing the consolidation of the Mongolian people.

The Mongolian government consists of three branches: an executive branch, a unicameral legislative branch, and a judicial branch; the president will coordinate and direct the relations between the highest legislative and executive powers. The first election of the State great Khural was successfully carried out on June 28, 1992 nationwide.

1.5 National Social Welfare System

On January 1, 1995, Laws that reformed the social insurance system came into effect. As outlined in the Social Insurance Law, there are five types of social insurance: pension insurance, benefit insurance, industrial accident and occupational disease insurance, and unemployment insurance. A social welfare service, a part of social security, has two basic directions; social welfare and care services for social vulnerable groups. There were five laws on the social welfare pensions and care services in Mongolia. Those were renewed, amended and passed by the parliament of Mongolia in 1998 and came into effect of January 1, 1999.

The state social welfare organization has had today's joint structure; State Social Welfare Office, Social Welfare Centres in districts, social welfare and care service centres in aimags and social workers in soums, with a total of 830 employees.

Over the past 4 years the Government has increased pensions from the social insurance fund by 44 percent and child benefits by 38 per cent. A project Social Welfare Sector Development Program will be implemented for five years. The project will be financed with loan worth at $16 million. Eight million dollar of that is intended to spend for making policy reforms in social welfare sector and another $8 million has been projected for modification of structure and services of social welfare organizations. The Government intends to make the protection of the poor consistent with the market economy through promoting such employment-generating activities as the establishment of local enterprise promotion centres; the creation of income-generating and employment opportunities for women; development of small-and medium-sized enterprises for processing and marketing of agricultural products; restocking the herds of poor families, who do not have an adequate number of livestock etc.

Under existing legislation, the minimal subsistence level of the population should be determined at least once a year. According to information released at the end of April, 2003, the lowest subsistence level was established at 19,500 tugrugs for the western region, at 20,500 tugrugs for eastern, at 29,800 tugrugs for the central regions and at 25,300 tugrugs for Ulaanbaatar.

1.6 Education Profile

Mongolian Government policy to give all citizens primary education came into action in 1940s. The Ministry of Science, Technology, Education and Culture (MOSTEC) formulates educational policy and sets the standards for each level of formal education. Promotion to each educational level is through a system of exams.

By 1990, 96% of the population had become literate, and 62% had obtained primary education. Mongolian education has the structure as below.

Year of study	Age	School type	Education level
	18	High school (Technical and vocational schools)	Complete-secondary education
	17	High school (Technical and vocational schools)	Complete-secondary education
	16	-	-
	15	Secondary school	Basic Education
	14	Secondary school	Basic Education
	13	-	-
	12	-	-
	11	Primary school	Primary Education
	10	Primary school	Primary Education
	9	-	-
	8	-	-
	7	Kindergarten	Pre-school Education
	6	Kindergarten	Pre-school Education
	5	-	-

Mongolian students go to school for eleven years, from age 7 to 17, and primary education is compulsory. The education system consists of preschool, primary school (grades 1-6); secondary school (compulsory to grade 8, complete at grade 10); vocational and technical training; and universities.

In the rural areas where there may be no schools, children of nomads are often sent to the aimag (province) centres to attend boarding schools, only returning home on breaks and summer vacation.

Primary (4th grade), secondary (8th grade) and complete-secondary (10th grade) education examinations are given to pupils who are going to finish each level. Primary education examinations are given in Mongolian language and mathematics. According to the examinations given to the 4th grade pupils in 1998-1999 academic years, the pass rate was 89.3%, with 54.8% rated as outstanding the pass rate of Mongolian language was 93.0%, with 61.0% rated as outstanding. Additionally, by 1990 almost 100% of pupils had become literate. According to the 1989 Census, 20.2% of the population are between 15-24 years old; 99.0% of which were literate (the percentage of male literacy was 98.7% and female literacy was 99.2%).

The advantage of education system at all levels is that most of the teachers were professionally prepared in universities, higher schools and colleges. The professionals who graduated from universities and colleges with a teacher's diploma have the rights to teach. While the percentage of trained teachers of the total was 95.9% in 1991, it reached 96.8% in 1998. This achievement has been maintained during the transition period to the market economy.

In 1998, 41.8% of all teachers were primary school teachers of grades one to four and 21.4% of these had master's or bachelor's degree, 72.5% had diploma, and 6.1% had a upper-secondary education (but no teacher training). In terms of experience, the average of service was about ten years.

Source: The EFA 2000 Assessment Country Reports

Until 1990, the National University of Mongolia (originally Mongolian State University) was the country's only university. However, following the implementation of education reforms in 1991, the following former polytechnics have been upgraded to university status: the Russian Language Institute, the State Pedagogical Institute, the Pedagogical Institute, the Agricultural Institute, the Medical Institute, the Management Institute and the Military Institute.

Admission to university requires the Gerchilgee diploma, awarded at the end of secondary school. Students must also take a competitive entrance examination administered by all institutions of higher education. The examination is held once a year, usually at the end of June and early July. The following table illustrates the degree distribution in the total student population in Mongolia.

Degree	Student number	By institutional distribution from the total
		Public	Private	Satellite of foreign university
Diploma	4052	3588	464	0
Bachelor	89152	58150	30580	422
Master's	3661	3506	153	0
PhD	1588	1588	-	-
Total	98453	66834	31197	422

Source: MOSEC, 2003

According to the MOSEC statistics, 67 percent of the total student population in Mongolian higher education institutions are in public institutions.

1.7 Health Profile

According to the Government's Plan of Action, the health priorities are to provide good quality primary health services, improve rural health care, develop the private health sector and expand health insurance coverage. In addition to the Plan of Action, the most important policy document is the state public health policy, approved in November 2001. There is no long-term national health policy, but in 2003 the Ministry of Health, with the support of the Government of Japan (JICWELS), started a project to develop a health sector master plan for the next 10 years. Although government approval is expected in the first half of 2005, significant new resources and major system changes will be required for its full implementation.

Health legislation and most national health programmes have been updated in the last few years. However, programme implementation depends on international support, as government health spending is mainly used for inpatient care. Although government expenditure on public health programmes has increased in recent years, it was still only 1.4% of total health spending in 2002.

HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH (YEAR 1999, compared to latest available, 2004)
1999
Physicians density per 100,000 population	Nurses & Midwives total number	Physicians total number	Nurses &Midwives, density per 100,000 population	All nurses, density per 100,000 population	Dentists total number	Dentists, density per 100,000 population	Population
254	7,478	6,289	302	7,478	302	13.5	2,476,051
2004
Physicians density per 100,000 population	Nurses & Midwives total number	Physicians total number	Nurses &Midwives, density per 100,000 population	All nurses, density per 100,000 population	Dentists total number	Dentists, density per 100,000 population	Population
266.5827	8,414	6,823	328..7449	304.8334	469	18.3244	2,559,431

Source: WHO (2004)

1. 8 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

According to the CIA World Fact Book (2004), the number of telephone lines in use approximated 104,100 in 1999 while mobile phone users totaled approximately 110,000 in 2001.

Based on the current status of ICT Development in Mongolia (2003), the number of PCs at the end of 2002 was 69,000 and about half of people owned PCs at home. According to JICA telecom study in 2003, there are 10 internet service providers (ISPs) at present, and all conec to RailCom which connects with world networks through ChinaTeleCom and Trans Telecom Russia via fiber optic IP port; internet users in Aimag/Sum are reported to be very limited as well as low speed connection, lack of consumable money of the peoples and less opportunity of PC buying or using.