Population and migration Mongolia is situated in Central Asia, between the Russian Federation and China. Mongolia is the 19th largest country in the world, covering 1.5 million square kilometers, divided into 21 aimags (provinces) and the capital city. At the end of 2012 Mongolia had a population of 2.9 million, of which around 67 percent resided in urban areas. A total of 1.2 million people lived in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. [...]

Internal migration towards cities and urban settlements has increased since 2000, mainly caused by a harsh winter that is resulted in the loss of animals which is the main income source of a number of herding families. There have been notable changes in the share of urban population as a result of severe winter “dzud”. The herders who lost their livestock migrated extensively to urban areas in a search of livelihood.

Policy alignment The adoption and implementation of the MDGs in Mongolia has served as a backbone for the formulation of different policies and programmes such as economic policy, development strategy and human development policy, as well as for the establishment of implementation mechanisms and to improve monitoring and evaluation of different policies and programmes. The main objectives of the Millennium Development Goals–based Comprehensive National Development Strategy of Mongolia have been incorporated into the different policy documents, programs and actions of the Government of Mongolia.

Youth unemployment Currently, the youth aged 15-24 constitute about 30 percent of the working age population of Mongolia, and at the same time their age economically active population comprise 16 percent of the total economically active population. Youth unemployment rate calculated based on registered unemployed was quite high in 1998-2001, which stabilized in 2002-08. However, the Labour Force Survey conducted in 2009-12 revealed the number of hidden unemployed. Thus, in 2009 the unemployment rate of youth aged 15-24 increased to 22.0 percent, and form the next year it started to decline steadily by around 14 percent per annum. By 2012 it reached 14 percent. This declining trend in the youth unemployment rate is attributable to the implementation of various programs such as “Pre-employability Program for Youth”, and “Sub-program to support youth and students’ employment”.

Youth issues are regulated and coordinated through a number of policies and programs in Mongolia. The State Population Development Policy, adopted by the Parliament in 2004 serves as the main policy regarding youth development issues. The policy has the following provisions on youth: A state policy will be directed at growing and developing adolescents and the youth population into physically and intellectually well developed citizens who can contribute to building, monitoring and strengthening the social development process and actively participate in decision making. Opportunities which offer young families access to housing, income generating credit schemes and development assistances will be expanded. Adolescents and youth will be provided with conditions for formal and informal education, training, employment, health services and economic independence, and their productivity and creativity will be developed. Attention will be paid to giving the youth a sense of respect and value of nature, mother tongue, traditional culture and civilization. An enabling environment will be created for adolescents and youth to have productive leisure time and development of self. Rights and needs-based, age-specific reproductive health care and services for young people will be promoted and expanded. Innovative and affordable child care, development and welfare services will be established in response to the specific needs of young families.