Mongolia
Year
DEMOGRAPHICS, GENDER AND POVERTY
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Ministry of Health
Government building-8,
Olympic Street-2,
Ulaanbaatar-210648, Mongolia
Tel: (976) 11-321569
Fax: (976) 11-320916
moh@moh.mng.net
http://www.moh.mn
WHO Representative for Mongolia
Ministry of Health
Government Building-8,
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
P.O.Box 663, Ulaanbaatar-13, Mongolia
Tel:(976) 11-327870, 11-322430
Fax:(976) 11-324683
who@mog.wpro.who.int
Landlocked between the Russian Federation and China, Mongolia is the fifth largest country in Asia, with a total area of 1565 million square kilometres. In 2003, the population reached 2 504 023, with 58.5% classified as urban. The Human Development Index for 2004 gave Mongolia a ranking of 117.
The birth rate has declined by nearly 52% over ten years as a result of a 40% drop in the marriage rate, greater use of contraceptives, legalization of abortions, delayed marriage and a longer interval between births. In 2003, the population growth rate was 11.7 per 1000 and life expectancy at birth was 63.63 (60.79 years for males and 66.50 years for females). The adult literacy rate is reported as 97.2%.
By the end of 2002, the number of female-headed households had increased by 11.8% over that in 1999. The proportion of all households headed by females continues to increase.
In 2000, an estimated 67% of the population had access to electricity. However, outside the urban centres, access to electricity drops to 34%.
The number of registered unemployed in Mongolia increased by 6.7% during 2004, with females accounting for 55.2% of the total registered unemployed. The end of the preferential textile export provisions on 1 January 2004 is expected to result in some 40 000 additional unemployed, the majority of whom will be female. Labour force participation rates are estimated at 64.4% for women and 67.6% for men. Educational enrolment rates at all levels for school-age girls continue to increase over those for school-age boys. Among the poor, female school enrolment rates greatly exceed those for boys, while for the non-poor female enrolment only marginally exceeds that for boys.
Using a low poverty line (approximately US$ 20 per month per person), some 36.1% of the population are classified as poor. In urban areas, the poor account for 30% of the population, while in the rural areas they account for 43%. For all of Mongolia, the average consumption per person in 2003 was estimated at less than US$ 30 per month. With very harsh winters, poverty and homelessness are life-threatening issues in Mongolia. Gers accommodate 45% of the Mongolian population, with apartments accommodating 20%. Some 43.4% of the population living in gers are estimated to live on less than US$ 20 per month, with very limited access to safe water, sanitation and basic infrastructure services. The cost of heating a ger is not insignificant for the poor, as the lowest temperature measured in 2004 reached -50C. Inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, is 0.33.
As noted in the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2002-2003, spending on health care, on average, represents 5% of the average household’s consumption, with the non-poor spending more than three times as much as the poor. Expenditure on self-prescribed medicines represents almost half the total personal spending on health, representing two-thirds of the poor’s total health expenditure.
Although more females than males report health complaints (7.6%/5.2%), there is little difference in their treatment-seeking behaviour (72%/70%). Similarly, the non-poor have more health complaints than the poor (7.4%/4.6%), while more of the non-poor seek treatment than the poor (74%/63%).
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