LocationsNational Statistics Office and UNDP partner on advancing Multidimensional Poverty Measurement in Mongolia
September 28, 2025
Ulaanbaatar, 29 September 2025 – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the National Statistics Office (NSO) commenced a five-day training workshop on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis. The training is organized under UNDP’s “Statistical Capacity Building for Sustainable Development” project, implemented with support from the UNDP Seoul Policy Centre and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
Aimed to provide a conceptual and technical introduction to multidimensional poverty measurement, the training workshop convened policy makers, Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) working group members and professionals from NSO responsible for computing, analysing, and using the national MPI currently being developed.
For decades, poverty in Mongolia and globally has been measured primarily through income and consumption. However, these indicators alone cannot capture the full picture of deprivation. A household may earn above the poverty line but still face challenges such as lack of access to clean water, inadequate housing insulation, or education opportunities.
As of 2023, Mongolia’s social welfare expenditures accounted for 3.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 9.9 percent of the state budget. Yet, poverty rates have not significantly declined over the past 30 years.
To address these gaps, Mongolia is now progressing on development of its own National Multidimensional Poverty Index —a tool that reveals not only who is poor, but also how they are poor. First introduced in 2010 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and UNDP, the MPI captures overlapping deprivations across health, education, and living standards. Today, more than 50 countries use national MPIs.
Mr. Batdavaa Batmunkh, Chairperson of NSO, highlighted “Mongolia’s Vision 2050 aspires to end poverty in all its forms and achieve equality. To achieve this, reliable and internationally comparable data are essential. The National Statistics Office is committed to delivering such data, and the Multidimensional Poverty Index will be a key tool to monitor progress and shape stronger policies that ensure no one is left behind”.
Mr. Batdavaa Batmunkh, Chairperson of NSO
Ms. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia emphasized that “To effectively fight poverty, we must first truly understand and measure it. Applying MPI ensures a fundamental shift in policymaking: moving from averages to realities, and from broad poverty reduction strategies to targeted, evidence-based interventions”.
Ms. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia
For more information, please contact:
Erdenesukh Otgonbayar | Communications Analyst | UNDP Mongolia | erdenesukh.otgonbayar@undp.org
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About UNDP Seoul Policy Centre
UNDP Seoul Policy Centre is part of the United Nations’ global development and policy network. The Policy Centre is central to supporting effective development cooperation, South-South and Triangular Cooperation and higher quality programming and action through cutting edge development research, policy dialogue and knowledge sharing on key development issues.
