Mongolia - 63.79
62
Opportunity often overlooked
Mongolia maintains the strongest democracy in Central Asia by a country mile. However, the country’s development is stunted by weak infrastructure and consistently high corruption. Additionally, Mongolia is the least densely populated country on the planet, further hampering development. Most of Mongolia’s rural areas lack any sort of infrastructure whatsoever, and its few developed urban areas are stuck in a midcentury industrial development. Ulaanbaatar, the country’s only city of note, is plagued by some of the worst air pollution in the world. However, Mongolia still has a significantly better developmental future than other Central Asian counterparts, as unlike these countries, the Mongolian government remains committed to the development of the people. This is not to say that the country is free from problems on a governmental level, however. A poorly structured court system is subject to significant political pressure and the government retains relatively broad discretion to determine and censor misinformation. Mongolia’s future is significantly brighter than that of the economically comparable Kazakhstan, for example, but this sparsely populated country sandwiched between superpowers still has a long way to go before it can achieve true first-world status.
Human Rights - 68
Mongolia has fully abolished the death penalty. Several credible allegations of torture against the Mongol government remain pending, but few were investigated. Prison conditions were poor nationwide and prisoners lacked adequate access to sanitation or medical facilities. Courts rarely issued not-guilty verdicts and if a suspect proceeded to trial they were almost always found guilty. The National Security Council, which consists of the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament, can order judges to be fired, which leads to political pressure on the justice system. Severe backlogs in the judicial system lead to lengthy pretrial detention times. Seminomadic herders were frequently forced off their lands to make room for Mongolia’s powerful mining industry. These herders were not granted restitution or compensation. Press licenses were occasionally denied to dissenting journalists. An April 2020 decree that remains in effect contains broad provisions and allows the government to censor COVID misinformation. However, what qualifies as misinformation is at the discretion of the authorities. Libel remains a criminal offense that is occasionally used against dissenting journalists. "Spreading of evidently false information thereby causing damage to others' honor, [or] dignity" is an offense separate from libel. Mongolia’s military is under a de facto “don’t ask, don’t tell” style policy. Mongolia guarantees discrimination protections but offers no recognition of same-sex relationships. Abortion is legal to twelve weeks.
Democracy - 84
The president is directly elected and the prime minister (who holds most executive authority) is elected by parliament. Starting in 2015, the president can only run for one six-year term as opposed to two eight-year terms. The State Great Hural, the country’s legislative body, is directly elected. Elections are generally free and fair. Minor changes to electoral law often occur very shortly before elections and electoral laws favor the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) and the Democratic Party (DP). As a result, Mongolia is under a de facto two-party system. The National Labor Party (HUN) became the first third party to enter parliament ever in the most recent election cycle. President Battulga has been accused of misusing state funds during his election.
Freedom - 68
Press licenses were occasionally denied to dissenting journalists. An April 2020 decree that remains in effect allows the government, under broad discretion, to censor COVID misinformation. Libel, and a separate offense, "Spreading of evidently false information thereby causing damage to others' honor, [or] dignity,” are both occasionally used against dissenting journalists. The government often threatens dissenting journalists with libel suits. This practice has drawn ire from Mongol taxpayers who claim that the government is wasting large sums of money on forcing settlements from dissenting journalists who cannot afford to maintain an expensive court case. Trade unionists in Mongolia often face harassment. All drugs are illegal in Mongolia. Mongolia may issue gun ownership licenses for fully-automatic rifles and handguns.
Economy - 61
Health - 44
Mongolia has a life expectancy of 70 years and an infant mortality rate of 1.34%. 20.6% of Mongols are obese and 4.3% are malnourished. Due to Mongolia’s population distribution being heavily biased in favor of remote rural areas, much of Mongolia’s population lacks adequate access to a healthcare infrastructure that is of solid quality in major cities. 59% of Mongols have access to clean, running water. Rural Mongols have virtually no running water access. 27.6% of adult Mongols smoke regularly.
Corruption - 28
The Mongolian judicial system is highly subject to political pressure at all levels. Politically motivated judicial decisions are very common, as the government has extensive authority to terminate judicial officials. Public services must be bribed into action where available. Land rights are not adequately protected, and land claims are often seized by the government to award to mining corporations.
Competency - 48
The government is failing to provide for a rural population that constitutes most of the country. Corruption and disease remain rampant.
Future - 77
The Mongolian economy has been growing quickly. It took a major hit during the COVID pandemic but will likely recover quickly. The government passed some concerning laws during the COVID pandemic that grant them greater provisions for censorship. The government has plans to expand running water access for rural areas
Actions Abroad - 66
Mongolia maintains diplomatic relations with all UN Member States except Botswana. Mongolia is claimed by Taiwan, as Taiwan claims all territory under the pre-revolution control of the Republic of China. Mongolia does not extradite to North Korea but does employ North Korean foreign labor that in most cases amounts to slavery. Mongolia is generally isolationist and maintains good relations with most countries.
Mongolia has an international poverty rate of 0.1% and a national poverty rate of 28.4%. 4.3% of Mongols are unemployed. Mongolia has a low economic disparity. Mongolia has a minimum wage of $120 per month. Mongolia’s universal healthcare system is decent, offering high-quality care in major cities. However, healthcare quality deteriorates significantly in rural areas, where much of the country’s population lives. The Mongolian economy shrunk 5.3% in 2020 and grew 5.2% in 2019.