Ulaanbaatar, April 17, 2012 - The National Statistics Office (NSO) has been collaborating actively with the World Bank since 2002 in the areas of strengthening statistical capacity and improving methodologies for estimating poverty indicators through living standards measurement surveys and household income and expenditure surveys. A good example of this long-term collaboration is that teams from the two institutions have worked together to define a methodology that can assess the state of poverty and people’s living standards in Mongolia. As a result of this joint work data about poverty in Mongolia have been reconciled.
Today we jointly announced poverty numbers estimated according to the World Bank methodology based on the 2011 Household Social Economic Survey (HSES) conducted by NSO. According to the joint estimation, poverty headcount index in Mongolia stands at 29.8 percent which is 9.4 percentage points less than in 2010, poverty depth amounts to 7.6 percent which represents a drop of 3.7 percentage points, poverty severity is at 2.8 percent which is 1.8 percentage points less than in 2010.
Table 1. Main poverty indicators, in percent
|
Poverty |
|||||||||
headcount index |
depth |
severity |
||||||||
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
||
State average |
39.2 |
29.8 |
-9.4 |
11.3 |
7.6 |
-3.7 |
4.6 |
2.8 |
-1.8 |
|
|
Urban |
32.2 |
26.6 |
-5.6 |
8.7 |
7.0 |
-1.7 |
3.4 |
2.6 |
-0.8 |
|
Rural |
47.8 |
33.3 |
-14.5 |
14.6 |
8.4 |
-6.2 |
6.1 |
3.0 |
-3.1 |
Poverty headcount index by regions shows that the Western region’s headcount index is 30.2 percent, Khangai region’s 38.9 percent, Central’s 27.2 percent, Eastern’s 34.3 percent and poverty headcount index in Ulaanbaatar city is 23.5 percent. These are 2.1 to 20.9 percentage points lower than the 2010 levels in each region. (Table 2).
Table 2. Main poverty indicators, by region, in percent
|
Poverty |
|||||||||
headcount index |
depth |
severity |
||||||||
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
||
Region |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Western |
51.1 |
30.2 |
-20.9 |
16.0 |
7.9 |
-8.1 |
6.7 |
2.9 |
-3.8 |
|
Khangai |
51.9 |
38.9 |
-13.0 |
16.0 |
9.9 |
-6.1 |
6.7 |
3.5 |
-3.2 |
|
Central |
29.3 |
27.2 |
-2.1 |
7.7 |
7.1 |
-0.6 |
2.9 |
2.6 |
-0.3 |
|
Eastern |
40.6 |
34.3 |
-6.3 |
12.3 |
9.3 |
-3.0 |
5.2 |
3.5 |
-1.7 |
|
Ulaanbaatar |
29.8 |
23.5 |
-6.3 |
7.7 |
5.9 |
-1.8 |
2.8 |
2.1 |
-0.7 |
Poverty headcount index by location shows that the biggest reduction occurred in soum centers and rural areas (also called “remote areas”). For example, the indicator decreased by 18.9 percentage points compared to the 2010 level in rural areas.
Table 3. Main poverty indicators, by location, in percent
|
Poverty |
|||||||||
headcount index |
depth |
severity |
||||||||
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
2010 |
2011 |
change |
||
Location |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ulaanbaatar |
29.8 |
23.5 |
-6.3 |
7.7 |
5.9 |
-1.8 |
2.8 |
2.1 |
-0.7 |
|
Aimag centers |
36.2 |
31.8 |
-4.4 |
10.4 |
8.8 |
-1.6 |
4.2 |
3.5 |
-0.7 |
|
Soum centers |
38.8 |
30.9 |
-7.9 |
11.4 |
8.1 |
-3.3 |
4.7 |
3.0 |
-1.7 |
|
Rural areas |
54.2 |
35.3 |
-18.9 |
16.9 |
8.6 |
-8.3 |
7.1 |
2.9 |
-4.2 |
Currently poverty indicators are estimated at regional, state levels and by location. The teams from both institutions are working together to develop estimates at the aimag level. Estimating poverty and living standard indicators at aimag, capital city, regional, and state levels has a significant role in assessing the impacts of public policies, programs and country development planning.
Information about household consumption, population living standards and poverty are important baseline data in assessing impacts of planning, policy preparation, policies and programs.
Contact:
National Statistics Office
Government building III, Baga toiruu44
Tel (976-11) 322424, 326414
Web site www.nso.mn
The World Bank Mongolia
5th Floor, MCS Plaza Building
Seoul Street-4, 210644 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Tel +(976- 11) 312647 312654
Web site: https://www.worldbank.org/mn/country/mongolia
