As part of the government's strategy called "Vision 2050," Mongolia plans to use digitalization to promote socio-economic development while balancing regional influence with concerns for environmental protection and cultural heritage.

Mongolia, a country with unique natural landscapes, the Gobi Desert, and diverse flora and fauna, including the Przewalski horse, ranks first among landlocked countries, with its territory being four times larger than Germany.

With a population of 3.5 million people and neighbors Russia and China, Mongolia seeks to integrate into the global community through advanced technologies.

In May 2020, the Parliament of Mongolia, known as the Great State Khural, adopted the strategic document "Vision 2050," aimed at transforming the country into a regional leader and a high-income country by 2050.

In an interview with GovInsider, Ariunbold Shagdar, Director of the Census and Data Analysis Department of the National Statistical Office of Mongolia (NSO), noted that the country aims to achieve leadership in socio-economic development by 2050, "while it is important to preserve our national identity and care for the environment."

One of the key tasks of "Vision 2050" is to use digitalization for the economic diversification of Mongolia, reducing dependence on the mining sector.

The second goal is to create a comfortable living environment through the expansion of digital government services on the E-Mongolia platform, he adds.

According to Ariunbold, the NSO has become the foundation for decision-making in the country based on factual data.

THREE-STAGE DIGITALIZATION PLAN

Ariunbold outlines three stages in the country's digital roadmap.

"By 2030, we will focus on creating a legal framework and security system for digital government," he notes.

"Then, by 2040, we will move to the integration stage, implementing innovations in information and communication technologies (ICT) across all sectors of the economy to enhance productivity," he adds.

"By 2050, we aim to create a fully digital government that is citizen-centric, ensuring transparency, combating corruption, and placing citizens at the center of public service," emphasizes Ariunbold.

He views this transition as the final stage of a long-term progress that began with the establishment of the NSO in 1924.

According to him, the 1960s marked the time of establishing a scientific base, while the 1990s were a transition to a market economy.

DATA IN MANAGEMENT

"Mongolia has made significant progress in data-driven governance," emphasizes Ariunbold, adding that the country views data as a strategic resource alongside countries like Estonia, Canada, and the USA.

He mentions collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications since May 2024 to develop an integrated state database and metadata.

"This has created a unified ecosystem where government agencies, businesses, and citizens can access quality data for research and policy development," he says.

Since 2020, the NSO has abandoned outdated data collection methods and transitioned to more efficient registry-based methods.

"For the interim census in 2025, we combined 30 databases from 14 different government agencies, verifying data for 570,000 households through digital systems," Ariunbold recounts.

In 2026, the NSO plans to conduct a census using "mixed methods," where more than half of the data will be collected from administrative records.

"Our goal is to create an e-government ecosystem where data is used to improve citizens' lives through smarter and faster decisions," he adds.

INTEGRATING BIG DATA INTO OFFICIAL STATISTICS

Ariunbold reports that the NSO is collaborating with the UN Global Platform for integrating big data into official statistics.

"We are transitioning from an 'analog' to a 'digital' future, focusing on three aspects: human potential, technical infrastructure, and data security," he explains.

He also emphasizes that traditional agricultural data collection in Mongolia poses a serious challenge.

Currently, 17,700 enterprises and households fill out paper questionnaires nine times a year, which slows down the data processing process.

With UN support, the NSO is pioneering the use of remote sensing for automating data collection.

During the 2022 agricultural census, the NSO collected "benchmark" data for training machine learning models.

Now the NSO applies the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) method for classifying crops, using satellite images and multispectral data obtained from drones.

After identifying crops, the NSO uses a random forest algorithm to estimate yields. "This allows us to identify crops like wheat and potatoes solely from satellite images," he adds.

In 2024, the NSO, together with PARIS21, launched a pilot project in the Arkhangai aimag, achieving an accuracy of 81.63% in identifying livestock and 98.11% for traditional Mongolian dwellings known as gers.

USING AI FOR COUNTING SHEEP

Last year, the NSO tested an AI-based application for counting sheep and goats from video footage during the grazing season.

Ariunbold noted that while the results are promising, "we recognize the complexities; obtaining quality images and working with drones require significant costs and specialized skills."

According to him, therefore, the country continues to invest in training specialists in image processing and AI for sustainable management of these technologies.

His agency also collaborates with the ministries of food, agriculture, and light industry to develop an open-source system, which will allow for the broader application of remote sensing methods across the country.

Ariunbold emphasizes that international cooperation is a key element of Mongolia's digitalization. In 2025, Mongolia joined the board of the UN Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP).

"Our chair is part of the Executive Committee of PARIS21 and the Board of Directors of the Association of Directors of National Population and Housing Censuses and Statistics of the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific (ANCSDAAP)," he adds.

"These positions allow us to shape global data standards rather than just follow them," continues Ariunbold.

"Our data is the main evidence of progress," he emphasizes, adding that "thanks to adherence to national quality standards of the UN, our international rankings have reached record levels."

Mongolia ranked 11th in the world and second in East Asia in the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) for data openness.

In 2024, the World Bank's Statistical Performance Index placed the country 47th in the world, improving its position by five points.

"These achievements confirm that the National Statistical Office of Mongolia has become a world-class institution providing high-quality and transparent data in accordance with international standards," concludes Ariunbold Shagdar.

Author: Amit Roy Choudhury

Published Date:2026-03-19