“It was supposed to be a temporary home. But, with prices
for apartments starting at around 2.5 million tugrik (around
USD1,000) per square metre, there is no way we will move
soon,” he says. His two children, Maral, 17, and Gankhoyag,
20, have received an education, but can’t find work, and spend
most of the day watching TV and playing on their phones.
“My father just does odd jobs, and my mother gets
some money as a tailor, but nothing steady,” Maral shares.
“At least, in the countryside, there is always something to
do and something to eat,” her brother adds. But neither of
them would be willing to return to the steppe. “We’ve
become lazy,” he says bluntly.
The Mongolian government is aware of the challenges
ahead. In a 2009 report from the World Bank, it cited
climate change as one of the main threats to nomadic life.“Once you’ve sold your herd, there
is no return. Hope dies in the city
until only survival is left”
SukhtogooSeeking Greener Pastures
In the 1950s, only about 20
percent of Mongolians lived
in urban areas. In 2014,
68 percent of the population
lived in cities and townsBurgeoning Numbers
Mongolia’s population has been
increasing at an annual rate of
more than four percent since 2000
The rate of urbanisation annually
is 2.78 percentModern Challenges
Unemployment rate in 2016
was at 10.4 percent, while
economic growth was at
3.1 percentthe cha NgiNg tiMes
Pastoral Traditions
Mongolians have followed a
pastoral way of living for 3,000
years. Mongolian nomadic people
move two to four times a yearThe younger generation of Mongolians feels increasingly
disconnected to their parents’ nomadic way of living, which has
been practised for thousands of years. With increasing migration
to the capital but a lack of infrastructure to accommodate the
surge of people, many social problems are proliferating.A Livestock Livelihood
Mongolia has over 55.9 million
livestock. There are more sheep
than people in Mongolia: 12 sheep
per person