Citizen Ownership and Economic Futures: An Evaluation of Mongolia’s One-Time Free Land Distribution for Families

Abstract

Mongolia is the 19th largest country in the world, the 7th largest in Asia, and the second largest landlocked country. Mongolia is sparsely populated, with 20.9 percent of the population aged 15-35 [1], and they tend to marry relatively early. In Mongolia, landowners still lack property rights. In 2002, the parliament passed a law on land ownership for Mongolian citizens, which began granting Mongolian citizens one-time, free land ownership for family needs, but by the end of 2024, only 20.9 percent of the population had acquired free land ownership [2], which is an insufficient indicator. Even though Mongolian citizens who has land tenure right and those who want to own free land have applied, the land is not included in the general land management plan of the Aimag and the capital city, the general and partial development plans of the Aimag center and cities, or the annual land management plans of the Sum and district. Therefore, it is impossible to ownership free land for a family needs. In other words, it is believed that the relevant provisions of the law are slowing down the process of land acquisition. Article 5 of the Law on the Procedure for the Implementation of the Law on Land Acquisition for Citizens of Mongolia, adopted in 2008, states that the measure of granting land for family use to citizens once and for free shall be implemented for 25 years starting from May 1, 2003, and terminated [3]. This study aims to analyze the process of granting land for family use to citizens of Mongolia once and for free. In terms of research methodology, a sample is collected using a redesigned questionnaire, and 1,115 Mongolian citizens participated in the study. Secondary data was also used. According to the study, 784 citizens are unable to acquire land for family use free of charge. 728 respondents reported satisfaction with the one-time, free land ownership measure for family needs, indicating that their family members and relatives expect to own free land in the future. 1017 or 91.2 percent of the respondents answered that they would like to get free land ownership rights in Ulaanbaatar city and the provincial center. This confirms that citizens want to own free land in areas with more developed production and infrastructure. The hypothesis that free land ownership for Mongolian citizens over the age of 18 for family needs will improve the quality of life of households by providing them with private land has been confirmed. The value of land is expected to increase further in the future. When citizens had private land, they would be able to engage in business, mortgage it, and even secure their livelihood. This study has theoretical and practical significance and can be further studied.