Share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia

Mongolia: Share of population living in urban areas was 70.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
70.5%
World rank
142nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
70.5%
in 2020
All-time low
36.6%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 36.6 %1955: 38 %1960: 40.6 %1965: 43.6 %1970: 46.5 %1975: 49.5 %1980: 51.6 %1985: 53.5 %1990: 54.9 %1995: 56.9 %2000: 58.9 %2005: 61.7 %2010: 64.8 %2015: 67.8 %2020: 70.5 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia is 70.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia peaked at 70.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 1950.

That places Mongolia 142nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 37.3% 36.6% 38.0% 2
1960s 42.1% 40.6% 43.6% 2
1970s 48.0% 46.5% 49.5% 2
1980s 52.5% 51.6% 53.5% 2
1990s 55.9% 54.9% 56.9% 2
2000s 60.3% 58.9% 61.7% 2
2010s 66.3% 64.8% 67.8% 2
2020s 70.5% 70.5% 70.5% 1

Countries ranked near Mongolia

  1. 139 Suriname 70.8% compare
  2. 140 North Macedonia 70.5% compare
  3. 141 Portugal 70.5% compare
  4. 143 French Guiana 70.1% compare
  5. 144 Senegal 69.9% compare
  6. 145 Uganda 69.6% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Mongolia

All data for Mongolia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia?
Share of population living in urban areas in Mongolia was 70.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mongolia?
The highest recorded value was 70.5% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mongolia?
The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 1950.
How does Mongolia rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Mongolia ranks 142nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Mongolia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Mongolia data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.