GeoRealityMatch
Explore the urban skyline of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with mountains in the backdrop.A breathtaking view of expansive grasslands under a bright blue sky, featuring a rugged rocky outcrop.

Mongolia

Asia · Eastern Asia

High safetyVery affordable cost of livingHigh development

The air is polluted.

BackpackerCombines very affordable cost of living and high safety.
Safety

34th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
1.692lower is more peacefulHigh safety
#34 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Homicides
5.9per 100,000 people a yearHighUNODC / World Bank · 2023
Safety index
49.7Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferModerateNumbeo · 2026
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$6,210national income per person, US dollarsModerate
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
17.3New York = 100ExpensiveNumbeo · 2026
Property price to income
11.4years of median income to buy a median flatModerateNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 434% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and rose 121% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$13K$25K$20,798 PPP$7,108Inflation, % a year30%0200620102015202020252006, $1,330 a person, $5,977 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2007, $1,628 a person, $6,678 at PPP, inflation 9.6%2008, $2,127 a person, $7,297 at PPP, inflation 28%2009, $1,703 a person, $7,119 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2010, $2,625 a person, $7,532 at PPP, inflation 10%2011, $3,736 a person, $8,862 at PPP, inflation 8.4%2012, $4,329 a person, $10,152 at PPP, inflation 14.3%2013, $4,340 a person, $10,442 at PPP, inflation 10.5%2014, $4,126 a person, $10,900 at PPP, inflation 12.3%2015, $3,839 a person, $10,458 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2016, $3,620 a person, $10,511 at PPP, inflation 0.7%2017, $3,646 a person, $11,096 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2018, $4,108 a person, $12,317 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2019, $4,348 a person, $13,605 at PPP, inflation 7.3%2020, $4,001 a person, $13,693 at PPP, inflation 3.7%2021, $4,518 a person, $14,792 at PPP, inflation 7.4%2022, $4,994 a person, $16,399 at PPP, inflation 15.2%2023, $5,839 a person, $18,020 at PPP, inflation 10.3%2024, $6,751 a person, $19,173 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2025, $7,108 a person, $20,798 at PPP, inflation 8.6%$0$13K$25KInflation, % a year30%0200620102015202020252006, $1,330 a person, $5,977 at PPP, inflation 5.1%2007, $1,628 a person, $6,678 at PPP, inflation 9.6%2008, $2,127 a person, $7,297 at PPP, inflation 28%2009, $1,703 a person, $7,119 at PPP, inflation 7.6%2010, $2,625 a person, $7,532 at PPP, inflation 10%2011, $3,736 a person, $8,862 at PPP, inflation 8.4%2012, $4,329 a person, $10,152 at PPP, inflation 14.3%2013, $4,340 a person, $10,442 at PPP, inflation 10.5%2014, $4,126 a person, $10,900 at PPP, inflation 12.3%2015, $3,839 a person, $10,458 at PPP, inflation 5.7%2016, $3,620 a person, $10,511 at PPP, inflation 0.7%2017, $3,646 a person, $11,096 at PPP, inflation 4.3%2018, $4,108 a person, $12,317 at PPP, inflation 6.8%2019, $4,348 a person, $13,605 at PPP, inflation 7.3%2020, $4,001 a person, $13,693 at PPP, inflation 3.7%2021, $4,518 a person, $14,792 at PPP, inflation 7.4%2022, $4,994 a person, $16,399 at PPP, inflation 15.2%2023, $5,839 a person, $18,020 at PPP, inflation 10.3%2024, $6,751 a person, $19,173 at PPP, inflation 6.2%2025, $7,108 a person, $20,798 at PPP, inflation 8.6%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
72.4years, at birthModerate
#114 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
70WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100ModerateWHO · 2023
Air pollution
33.1PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageVery highWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Fast home internet

Unemployment rate
5.2%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
82 Mbpsmedian download speedFastOokla Speedtest · 2025
English proficiency
447EF English Proficiency Index scoreVery lowEF EPI · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet82 MbpsFast

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

A breathtaking view of expansive grasslands under a bright blue sky, featuring a rugged rocky outcrop.
How it changed

Mongolia's Human Development Index

0.747High human development

104th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 26th of 43 in Asia.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #102Lebanon0.752
  2. #103Saint Lucia0.748
  3. #104Mongolia0.747
  4. #105Tunisia0.746
  5. #106South Africa0.741
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 1990

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.593 in 1990 to 0.747 in 2023.

0.500.650.800.74719902000201020231990: 0.5931991: 0.5911992: 0.5811993: 0.5671994: 0.5681995: 0.5721996: 0.5781997: 0.5851998: 0.5941999: 0.6022000: 0.6112001: 0.6222002: 0.6312003: 0.6432004: 0.6582005: 0.6712006: 0.6832007: 0.6962008: 0.7072009: 0.7112010: 0.7142011: 0.7252012: 0.7352013: 0.7442014: 0.7482015: 0.7532016: 0.7592017: 0.7592018: 0.7672019: 0.7582020: 0.7412021: 0.7272022: 0.7422023: 0.7470.500.650.8019902000201020231990: 0.5931991: 0.5911992: 0.5811993: 0.5671994: 0.5681995: 0.5721996: 0.5781997: 0.5851998: 0.5941999: 0.6022000: 0.6112001: 0.6222002: 0.6312003: 0.6432004: 0.6582005: 0.6712006: 0.6832007: 0.6962008: 0.7072009: 0.7112010: 0.7142011: 0.7252012: 0.7352013: 0.7442014: 0.7482015: 0.7532016: 0.7592017: 0.7592018: 0.7672019: 0.7582020: 0.7412021: 0.7272022: 0.7422023: 0.747

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 34 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
72.4 years2024at birthUp 7.1 years from 65.3 years in 2005
Internet users
85%2024of people onlineUp 76 points from 9% in 2006
Urban population
71%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 7 points from 64% in 2006
Births per woman
2.502024births per womanUp 0.50 from 2 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
3%2021of energy usedDown 3 points from 6% in 2004
Access to electricity
99%2024of people with electricityUp 13 points from 86% in 2005
Infant mortality
112024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 20 from 31 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
7.8 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 3.5 t from 4.4 t in 2005
Forest area
9%2023of land under forestLevel with 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Land of sky and steppe: nomadic traditions, extreme climate, ultra low cost. The case against is polluted air and little English among locals.

About Mongolia

Mongolia is a vast landlocked country in Central Asia where the nomadic way of life that gave the world the great Mongol Empire survives in the culture of herders who still move with the seasons across the steppe. The landscape is one of the most open and unspoilt in the world, with the Gobi Desert in the south, taiga forest in the north, and an almost infinite expanse of grassland in between. Those who seek real silence, open horizons, and a culture with its own ancient logic will find it one of the most extraordinary journeys possible.

Practical facts

  • CapitalUlan Bator
  • LanguagesMongolian
  • CurrencyMongolian tögrög (MNT)
  • Area1,558,500 km²
  • Plug typeType C/F
  • Drives on theright
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Quick answers

What is Mongolia's Human Development Index?

Mongolia's Human Development Index is 0.747 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #104 of 193 by UNDP.

Is Mongolia safe?

Mongolia scores 1.69 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #34 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

How expensive is Mongolia?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Mongolia at 31.4 (New York = 100); that is #35 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Mongolia?

Life expectancy at birth in Mongolia is 72.4 yrs (World Bank), ranked #114 of 195 countries.