Assessment of the current condition of Mongolian road border ports

The formation and development of border ports is the result of the development of regional economy and world economy. The border port is the gateway of land opening and the hub node of international trade and social-cultural exchanges among the countries. Mongolia is a landlocked country, connected to neighboring countries by airports, road border ports, and railway border ports. As of 2024, Mongolia’s total foreign trade reached 27.3 billion USD. Of this total, 34.5% was conducted through the Zamyn-Uud border port, 30.4% through Gashuunsukhait, 9.5% through Sukhbaatar, and 8.9% through Shiveekhuren. The share of foreign trade conducted through other border port remained below 5%. Limited infrastructure and reliance on a single port contribute to elevated costs and delays, particularly during peak seasons. This logistical bottleneck hinders economic growth and raises consumer prices. Therefore, it is essential to identify, from an economic geographical perspective, the border ports that will play a key and beneficial role in the national, regional, and local socio-economic development in the short and medium term. This study aims to assess the current conditions of Mongolia’s road border ports and to identify those that play a key role in regional socio-economic development. Within the scope of the study, an assessment of the current conditions of 20 road border ports was conducted using the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) method, based on 27 criteria in 9 groups. The assessment of 20 road border ports in Mongolia revealed that the Zamyn-Uud, Altanbulag, Bulgan, Tsagaannuur, Bichigt, and Ereentsav ports received the highest scores. These ports are characterized by favorable conditions such as regional cooperation, well-established basic infrastructure, and advantageous border port classifications and operational regimes. Furthermore, based on the methodology employed in this study, it is possible to evaluate railway port and airport and it is possible to identify the border ports that require prioritized development at the national level.