Number of herders in Mongolia

Generally, number of herding families is decreasing in the past years. As of 2013, there were 210 thousand families with herds and 286 thousand herders according to the statistics (Figure). Especially young herders have been declined in numbers in recent years.

Figure 1. Multi-year number of families with animals and number of herders

Source: Statistical database 1991-2013, NSO (http://1212.mn)

Migration to urban areas, urbanization and related challenges continue to impact negatively on herders’ livelihood due to increased natural disaster such as drought and zud, decline in animal production and access to markets.