Youth in Mongolia

Young men and women can play a key role in the development process. Mongolia is a country of young people. Like young people elsewhere, Mongolia’s youth is shaping the future of the nation, which critically depends on how well youth are integrated into the country’s development and become responsible and productive citizens. They are the first generation in the country to have spent most of their lives under a democratic government. This has been crucial to their outlook and their experience.

According to data from the statistic organization of the country, Mongolia had a population of 3,171,860 as of 2019. At more than one million, youth aged 15–34 represent the largest demographic group in the country, constituting 34.9 percent of the population in 2019. Young people are a potential resource for the county’s economic development, given that they accounted for a significant share of the working-age population.

Youth make up 45 percent of the voters in the country, and the youth vote is likely to become increasingly important and often even decisive in determining electoral outcomes. Establishing a democratic space and fostering the social engagement of youth are important for establishing a stable democracy, improving the quality of governance and creating an active and responsible citizenry.

Without opportunities for the meaningful engagement of youth, the genuine needs and concerns of young people risk being ignored, thereby supporting economic and social instability.

Young people today are likely to be healthier and more well educated than their parents and can take advantage of modern communications technologies and media that enable them to engage more fully in society. They need to be prepared to live and work in the context of a quickly changing world, rapid globalization, a technological revolution and the challenges of employment and earning livelihoods.

Youth are the driving force towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030 and of the Sustainable Development Vision–2030 of Mongolia, which was approved by the State Great Khural (the national parliament) in early February 2016.

Although youth has many more opportunities and advantages today than ever before, they face many more challenges that may undermine their capabilities when they become adults. Greater attention by all stakeholders is thus required to develop the capabilities, increase the economic opportunities, strengthen the empowerment, and enhance the human security of youth, the future of the country.