As Ulaanbaatar City continues to expand, the number of high-rise buildings grows steadily, and the capital city’s population density increasingly concentrates toward the downtown. In other words, the proportion of the national population residing in the capital city rises with each passing year. Although Ulaanbaatar City occupies only 0.3 percent of Mongolia’s total territory, data from the National Statistics Office indicates that in 2023, 49.5 percent of the country’s population lived in the capital city.
According to a geographical study on internal migration in Mongolia and the factors influencing it—both push and pull forces—it is projected that by 2045, approximately 60 percent of the country’s total population will reside in Ulaanbaatar. Originally, the capital city’s infrastructure was designed to support 400,000 to 500,000 residents, yet today its population has multiplied far beyond that capacity—a fact well known to all. However, successive governments and city administrations have failed to implement decisive solutions to address the issue.
According to Mongolia’s norms and standards on the urban and settlement planning and construction, in areas with high-, medium-, and low-rise buildings (ranging from four to 17 floors), population density should not exceed 300 people per hectare (10,000 square meters) when each person is allotted 20 square meters of living space. This already represents a very dense urban environment—especially when compared to the city’s ger district, where only 40 to 60 people occupy the same area.
In recent years, 1,000s of households have been concentrated within a single high-rise residential complex, where previously only a few families lived on individual plots. While such development addresses the pressing need for housing, it also introduces new risks if safety and quality standards are not fully ensured. Experts consistently warn that the taller the building, the greater the risks during earthquakes, fires, or other disasters—particularly when construction deviates from established norms and results in substandard structures.
A 2023 study by the Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics revealed that 52.6 percent of Mongolia’s territory—amounting to 822,922 square kilometers—is located in zones of high seismic activity. Six fault lines have been identified in and around Ulaanbaatar, and according to the city’s micro-zoning map, the entire capital lies within seismic zones rated VII–IX on the intensity scale. Specifically, 47.6 percent of the city is classified as Zone VII, 50.4 percent as Zone VIII, and two percent as Zone IX.
As of 2020, 73.7 percent of the nation’s 902,609 households were determined to be at risk of experiencing earthquakes of magnitude eight or higher. In other words, 77.1 percent of Mongolia’s territory—and a striking 98 percent of Ulaanbaatar—is located in areas of high seismic activity, exposing a significant portion of the population to potential danger.
When asked about the vulnerability of the capital city’s buildings to earthquakes and other disasters, Colonel D.Baasansuren, Head of the Risk Management Department of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), explained, “According to Japanese experts’ calculations, 40 percent of all buildings in Ulaanbaatar would likely collapse in an earthquake of seven or more on the Richter scale. As of 2022, there were around 130,000 buildings nationwide, of which approximately 117,900 were located in Ulaanbaatar. Many of these structures are aging and urgently need reconstruction or replacement. Risk assessments conducted in educational institutions revealed that 64.4 percent of buildings fall into medium or higher seismic risk categories. Similarly, 2,320 healthcare facilities nationwide were classified as highly vulnerable to earthquakes.”
D.Baasansuren added that a building’s seismic resilience and structural weakness are determined through a process called seismic passporting, which involves on-site measurements, testing, and analysis by certified structural engineers. However, due to limited funding, many buildings have yet to undergo full passporting assessments.
The city’s construction requirements specify that each building must be designed to withstand a specific seismic intensity based on Ulaanbaatar’s micro-zoning map. Permits for high-rise construction are issued by the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing while the emergency agency only oversees compliance with fire safety regulations.
“We have no authority to evaluate a building’s earthquake resistance,” D.Baasansuren clarified. “Our oversight begins only after the building is approved by the State Commission, focusing mainly on fire safety systems and adherence to relevant standards.”
Under Mongolia’s construction norms, buildings are classified as follows: one to three floors are considered low-rise, four to six floors as medium-rise, seven to 16 floors as multi-storey, and 17 floors or higher as high-rise. In other words, structures ranging from 17 to 35 stories—or 51 to 150 meters in height—fall into the high-rise category. Responding to growing urban demand, the government approved a new high-rise building planning standard in 2023, aiming to regulate the design, safety, and construction practices of such developments more effectively.
In recent years, the construction of residential buildings soaring 20 stories or higher has become an increasingly common sight across Mongolia—particularly in Ulaanbaatar City, where the skyline is transforming at an unprecedented pace. These towering structures are classified as critical facilities, meaning they must meet rigorous technical and safety requirements. This includes installing automatic fire suppression systems, designing precise and accessible emergency exits, and ensuring structural integrity capable of preventing catastrophic collapse. Regulations also mandate that every high-rise must include a rooftop rescue cabin and a designated helipad to facilitate emergency evacuations.
In theory, these standards are clear and comprehensive. Yet in practice, uncertainty remains over whether many of Ulaanbaatar’s skyscrapers actually comply—particularly regarding rooftop helicopter landing pads and other essential emergency features. Construction guidelines also stipulate that engineers must calculate the effects of snow, ice, and wind loads, all of which place enormous stress on tall structures in Mongolia’s harsh continental climate. Moreover, because the capital lies almost entirely within an active seismic zone, earthquake resilience is not just a recommendation—it is the very lifeblood of a building’s design.
According to the standards on high-rise building planning, developers must explicitly factor in seismic activity when constructing buildings taller than 100 meters in regions with magnitude five earthquake risk, and those over 75 meters in areas prone to magnitude six quakes. In other words, the rule applies directly to the city’s 17–35-story residential towers. However, despite such stringent technical requirements, NEMA currently has no legal authority to monitor or intervene in the construction process. Its oversight extends only to verifying fire safety systems—leaving the broader structural and seismic safety of these high-rises outside its purview. Experts argue that this narrow scope of supervision is deeply concerning for a city situated in one of the most seismically active regions of the country.
Permits for mid-rise buildings of up to 16 floors are issued by the City Development Department of City Standards, which is responsible for assessing geological and environmental risks before granting construction approval. However, when asked to clarify safety requirements for newly built structures in Ulaanbaatar, the department declined to provide information—raising further questions about transparency and accountability in urban planning.
Mongolia currently operates under more than 400 building norms and regulations, about 600 national standards, and numerous other technical guidelines. Collectively, they are meant to govern every stage of construction—from planning and design to engineering, assembly, and operation. Yet according to specialists at the Construction Development Center, enforcement remains inconsistent. “We have sufficient norms and regulations,” they acknowledge, “but the mechanisms to ensure strict compliance and feedback are still weak.”
Meanwhile, the race toward vertical urbanization shows no signs of slowing. Just last week, the “Nogoon Nuur” residential complex—comprising eight 21-story apartment blocks with a total of 1,008 housing units—was officially inaugurated. Similar large-scale projects continue to emerge under the city’s ger district redevelopment programs, where the push for denser housing has led to increasingly tall structures.
However, experts warn that safety must never lag behind ambition. Even today, Mongolia’s fire trucks can only extend ladders to reach about 10 stories. The recently imported mechanical fire engines from France—capable of reaching 30 to 42 meters—represent an improvement, yet remain insufficient for many of the capital city’s new high-rises. This stark limitation underscores an important truth: in advanced cities around the world, fire and disaster safety in high-rise buildings is not ensured by longer ladders, but by resilient design from the very foundation upward. Planning for emergencies, incorporating advanced evacuation systems, and building with quality materials are not optional extras—they are the difference between safety and tragedy in a city that is quite literally reaching for the sky.
Ultimately, as Ulaanbaatar continues its vertical ascent, the city finds itself at a defining moment—caught between the promise of modern urban growth and the peril of unmitigated risk. The gleaming towers that now dominate the skyline stand as symbols of progress, aspiration, and a rapidly evolving economy. Yet beneath their glass facades lies a critical question: are these structures truly built to withstand the forces of nature and time? Without uncompromising enforcement of construction standards, rigorous oversight, and genuine interagency collaboration, these high-rises risk transforming from icons of development into monuments of negligence. If Ulaanbaatar is to grow not only higher but stronger, the foundations of its progress must rest upon transparency, accountability, and safety—ensuring that every structure reaching toward the sky also reflects the country’s commitment to resilience, responsibility, and the enduring well-being of its people.
