Mongolia is a nation of predominantly young people. The median age is 25 and 27% of its peoples are under 14 years of age.  Additionally, only 5.9% of the total population is age 65 and above. The total dependency ratio is 46%. In 2010, the population growth rate increased to 1.5% from 1.1% in 2000, and 62% of the population lived in urban areas. The country’s life expectancy at birth is 67 years (2010), up from 61 years in 2000.  Females are slightly higher in number than males, with 1.36 million men and 1.39 million women in 2010 (UN DESA n.d.). The official language is Mongolian and is spoken by 95% of the population, however, a variety of dialects are spoken across the country. 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 Mongolia became a member of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It later joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997. Mongolia has managed to sustain moderate economic growth since the mid-1990s with an average growth rate of 5.5% and a range between 1.05 to 6.08 billion USD between 1995 and 2010 (World Bank n.d.). Much of this success was because of the country’s substantial progress in laying the institutional and policy foundations for a market-oriented economy, which included undertaking price and trade liberalization, launching large-scale privatization in the retail and livestock sectors, curtailing budget transfers, lending to state enterprises and setting-up a commercial banking system (UNESCO 2008). Today the economy is driven by the booming mining sector, which includes copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold and makes up 21% of the country’s GDP (U.S. Department of State 2011). Although prospects are bright, the country remains at risk of repeating the boom-bust cycle of the past decade that was marked by a decrease in mineral prices on the international market (World Bank 2011a, UNESCAP 2011).  The livestock industry and its byproducts remains an important aspect of the nation’s economy, constituting 15% of GDP and employing 34% of the labour force (Central Intelligence Agency n.d.). 

Mongolia's 1st free multiparty election took place in 1990. Since then, the country has made efforts to consolidate its democracy and has carried out far-reaching economic reforms and a new Constitution firmly based on adopted democratic values. The former People's Republic was renamed 'Mongolia', and a new single chamber 76-seat National Parliament called the State Great Hural was established (UNESCO 2008).  

The country uses a unicameral parliamentary system in which the president has a symbolic role and the prime minister, chosen by the legislature, exercises executive power. The legislative arm is the Parliament of Mongolia. The Mongolian judicial system consists of a Constitutional Court, a Supreme Court, province and capital city courts and district courts (UNESCO 2008). Since the 1990s, governments have been chosen through elections, and a coalition government was established after the 2004 election. It was short-lived and a new government of national unity under the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party was formed in 2006. Since then, the Government has remained in a fragile position with a number of resignations and dismissals of ministers under ever increasing public pressure and a politically hostile environment (U.S. Department of Stat 2011).  

Mongolia is administratively divided into 21 provinces (aimags) and the capital city Ulaanbaatar. Each province (aimag) is divided into districts (soums) and then sub-districts (baghs).  Ulaanbaatar is divided into 9 districts, which are further divided into 121 sub-districts (khoroos) (UNDP 2011a).

There are major demographic shifts being witnessed as a result of rising urbanization with 62% of the population living in urban areas in 2010 and an estimated annual rate of change at an increase of 1.9% for 2010-15 (Central Intelligence Agency n.d.).  Mongolia is suffering from imbalances in the distribution of population across the country with increasing internal migration and migration out of the country.  Additionally, despite economic expansion, poverty remains widespread with the latest available statistics suggesting that around a third of the population is living below the poverty line. Furthermore, while there are marked reductions in child and maternal mortality and improvements in gender equality, growing demand for universal health coverage, improved access to education and job opportunities remain major challenges (UNESCO 2008). Mongolia is ranked 110 out of 187 in the latest Human Development Index (2011), with indicators suggesting the country is below average for the East Asia and Pacific region (UNP 2011b).

While efforts at strengthening institutions of democratic governance and the practice of democracy are underway, ensuring greater transparency, accountability and better mainstreaming of democratic principles across all levels of society are required. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the media are beginning to be recognized as key players in development. There is also increasing recognition of and adherence to human rights standards. Over 30 international human rights treaties have been signed, and more recently the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia has actively furthered adherence to human rights. Finally, Mongolia is experiencing a cultural transformation as globalization and urbanization impact cultural practices, traditional values and ways of life (UNESCO 2008).