Mongolia's population projected to reach 4 mln in 2033

Mongolia's population is expected to reach 4 million in 2033 and 5 million in 2048, the country's National Statistics Office (NSO) said Monday.

The updated projections for the population growth were based on the 2020 National Population and Housing Census, the NSO said in a statement.

Mongolia, with a land area of 1,564,116 square km and a population of about 3.4 million, is the most sparsely populated country in the world.

According to the NSO, the country's population reached 1 million in 1962, 2 million in 1988, and 3 million in 2015.

In addition, the median age of the Mongolian population was 27.9 at the end of 2020 and is expected to increase to 30.6 by 2050, it said.

In the Asian country, the average life expectancy is 70.8 years for women and 60.6 years for men, and the government aims to reduce the gap to five years by 2024, according to the country's health ministry.