Safest cities in Mongolia
1 city with 100k+ population · data updated 2026-09-04
What official travel advice warns about
Terrorism
- Terrorism in MongoliaAlthough there is no recent history of terrorism in Mongolia, attacks cannot be ruled out.
Political situation
- There have been occasional instances of civil and political unrest resulting in protests. Avoid large gatherings and demonstrations for your personal safety.
Crime
- Protecting yourself and your belongingsOccasionally large groups of people, including children and teenagers, harass pedestrians for money as they get into vehicles or walk into pubs or restaurants. Keep your mobile phone, passport and money in a secured bag on your person, and leave valuables in a hotel safe if possible.
- Reporting crimeThe Mongolian government has asked foreigners to report crimes so they can investigate and keep records. You do not need to have any further involvement and will be free to leave once you’ve made your report.
Laws and cultural differences
- Personal IDAlways carry your passport. If the police ask you for ID they will not accept a copy and you could be fined. Keep copies of the photo page and the page with your Mongolian entry stamp in a separate place.
- Respecting religious customsShow respect in Buddhist monasteries. Always ask for permission to take photographs and do not touch sacred images or objects.
- Illegal drugs and prison sentencesIt is illegal to possess or use any type of drugs, including cannabis. If you are found guilty of drug trafficking, you could face a life sentence. Mongolian prisons have very basic facilities.
- Using camerasIt is illegal to photograph or video police, police escorts or military personnel. You could be arrested and fined. The court decides the fine based on the degree of social danger of the crime and the income of the defendant.
- LGBT+ travellersAlthough not illegal, same-sex relationships are not generally accepted socially.
- Wildlife, animal products and souvenirsIt is illegal to buy, sell, kill or capture any protected species of wild animal or trade its parts without a licence. You could get a fine and a prison sentence.
- Phone and wifi coverageMost UK phone networks operate in the cities and wifi is widely available in hotels, restaurants and bars, especially in Ulaanbaatar. You can buy local SIM cards and mobile phones. In rural Mongolia there are large areas that do not have network coverage.
Road travel
- Driving standards and road conditionsThere are a high number of road accidents, due to:
Extreme weather and natural disasters
- Find out what you can do to prepare for and respond to extreme weather and natural hazards.
Headings and opening lines from the UK FCDO “Safety and security” travel advice for Mongolia, updated 2026-08-07 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Read the full advice on gov.uk →
Country figures
- Homicide rate
- 5.64 /100k2024
- Income inequality
- Gini 31.42022
- Human development
- HDI 0.7472023
- Income
- $18,460/yrGNI per capita PPP
- Road deaths
- 21.0 /100kWHO, 2019
- Political stability
- 73/100WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 55/100WGI, 2024
- Corruption perceptions
- 31/100Transparency Intl, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 2.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.80GIWPS, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 42.7 µg/m³PM2.5, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safe drinking water
- 43%of population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 4.1 doctors /1k8.6 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards
- Flood
- 6.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 6.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Earthquake
- 2.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Mongolia (as of 2025).
How Mongolia compares
| Measure | Mongolia | World median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate | 5.6 /100k | 2.4 /100k | +3.3 /100k — better for World median |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 31.4 | 35.2 | −3.8 — better for Mongolia |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.747 | 0.763 | −0.016 — better for World median |
| Road deaths | 21.0 /100k | 15.4 /100k | +5.6 /100k — better for World median |
| Rule of law | 55/100 | 52/100 | +3/100 — better for Mongolia |
| Corruption perceptions | 31/100 | 39/100 | −8/100 — better for World median |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 42.7 µg/m³ | 19.7 µg/m³ | +23.0 µg/m³ — better for World median |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.6/10 | 3.8/10 | −1.2/10 — better for Mongolia |
| Measure | Mongolia | Asia median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate | 5.6 /100k | 1.5 /100k | +4.1 /100k — better for Asia median |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 31.4 | 33.6 | −2.2 — better for Mongolia |
| Human development (HDI) | 0.747 | 0.771 | −0.024 — better for Asia median |
| Road deaths | 21.0 /100k | 14.9 /100k | +6.1 /100k — better for Asia median |
| Rule of law | 55/100 | 52/100 | +3/100 — better for Mongolia |
| Corruption perceptions | 31/100 | 37/100 | −6/100 — better for Asia median |
| Air quality (PM2.5) | 42.7 µg/m³ | 26.7 µg/m³ | +16.0 µg/m³ — better for Asia median |
| Natural-hazard risk | 2.6/10 | 3.7/10 | −1.1/10 — better for Mongolia |
Medians, not means, so one extreme country cannot drag the reference value. Each row compares only the countries that have a published figure for that measure, and differences are plain arithmetic between stored values.
All 1 cities, safest first
- Ulaanbaatar66.3 · #3834 worldwide