The National Statistics Office (NSO) of Mongolia presented the pilot results of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s "Statistical Capacity Building for Sustainable Development" project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
The National MPI is the outcome of collaboration led by the NSO MPI Working Group, supported by technical experts from the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and UNDP Seoul Policy Centre. Aimed to measure overlapping deprivations in health, education, labour and living conditions, this MPI pilot introduced the internationally recognised Alkire Foster method, tailored specifically to Mongolia's context and priorities and based on pilot data from the 2024 Household Socio-Economic Survey. This establishes the methodology to be applied by the NSO for releasing the MPI results in 2027, using data from the 2026 Household Socio-Economic Survey.
"The national MPI strengthens evidence-based and accountable decision-making and improves accuracy of measuring people's living conditions, enabling the government and its partners to better target resources and monitor the progress. The NSO will officially publish the MPI results in 2027 based on 2026 data and remain fully committed to regularly updating the index," Chairperson of the NSO Batdavaa Batmunkh said.
The pilot results show that in 2024, 26% of Mongolia's population experienced multidimensional poverty, with deprived individuals lacking, on average, 36.8% of the 15 selected indicators. The most common challenges facing the multidimensionally poor relate to sanitation, internet access, health insurance and housing conditions, whereas school attendance and years of schooling are less prevalent.
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Mongolia Choi Jin-won highlighted the importance of National MPI and pointed out that "Korea stands ready to continue working closely with the government of Mongolia to deepen cooperation in development, governance, gender empowerment, environmental protection, and social policy".
UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia Matilda Dimovska emphasized that the National MPI pilot results gave Mongolia stronger tools to meet its SDG commitments. UNDP will continue working with the government to apply this evidence to focus support where it is needed most, she added.
The event concluded with reflections on how Mongolia's National MPI can guide more targeted policymaking, strengthen integrated social and economic policies, and provide a robust evidence base for designing programmes that effectively reduce poverty and vulnerability. With this National MPI finalized, Mongolia will join more than 50 countries using multidimensional poverty measurement as an essential tool for advancing equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.

Published Date:2025-12-23