Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia
Key facts and a structured country profile. ๐งพ Change log ๐ True Size
3,281,676 (2024 est.)
1,564,116 sq km
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
๐งญ Background
The peoples of Mongolia have a long history under a number of nomadic empires dating back to the Xiongnu in the 4th century B.C., and the name Mongol goes back to at least the 11th century A.D. The most famous Mongol, TEMรรJIN (aka Genghis Khan), emerged as the ruler of all Mongols in the early 1200s. By the time of his death in 1227, he had created through conquest a Mongol Empire that extended across much of Eurasia. His descendants, including รGรDEI and KHUBILAI (aka Kublai Khan), continued to conquer Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of China, where KHUBILAI established the Yuan Dynasty in the 1270s. The Mongols attempted to invade Japan and Java before their empire broke apart in the 14th century. In the 17th century, Mongolia fell under the rule of the Manchus of the Chinese Qing Dynasty. After Manchu rule collapsed in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, finally winning it in 1921 with help from the Soviet Union. Mongolia became a socialist state (the Mongolian Peopleโs Republic) in 1924. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, Mongolia was a Soviet satellite state and relied heavily on economic, military, and political assistance from Moscow. The period was also marked by purges, political repression, economic stagnation, and tensions with China. Mongolia peacefully transitioned to an independent democracy in 1990. In 1992, it adopted a new constitution and established a free-market economy. Since the country's transition, it has conducted a series of successful presidential and legislative elections. Throughout the period, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party -- which took the name Mongolian Peopleโs Party (MPP) in 2010 -- has competed for political power with the Democratic Party and several other smaller parties. For most of its democratic history, Mongolia has had a divided government, with the presidency and the parliamentary majority held by different parties but that changed in 2021, when the MPP won the presidency after having secured a supermajority in parliament in 2020. Mongoliaโs June 2021 presidential election delivered a decisive victory for MPP candidate Ukhnaagiin KHURELSUKH. Mongolia maintains close cultural, political, and military ties with Russia, while China is its largest economic partner. Mongoliaโs foreign relations are focused on preserving its autonomy by balancing relations with China and Russia, as well as its other major partners, Japan, South Korea, and the US.
๐บ๏ธ Geography
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
46 00 N, 105 00 E
Asia
1,564,116 sq km
1,553,556 sq km
10,560 sq km
Slightly smaller than Alaska; more than twice the size of Texas
8,082 km
China 4,630 km; Russia 3,452 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
Vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Nayramadlin Orgil (Khuiten Peak) 4,374 m
Hoh Nuur 560 m
1,528 m
Oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron
69% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 68.2% (2023 est.)
9.1% (2023 est.)
21.9% (2023 est.)
796 sq km (2022)
Hovsgol Nuur - 2,620 sq km; Har Us Nuur - 1,760 sq km;
Uvs Nuur - 3,350 sq km; Hyargas Nuur - 1,360 sq km
Amur (shared with China [s] and Russia [m]) - 4,444 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Population sparsely distributed throughout the country; the capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan support the highest population densities
Dust storms; grassland and forest fires; drought; "zud," which is harsh winter conditions
Landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
๐ฅ People and Societyโฌ๏ธ Top
3,281,676 (2024 est.)
1,595,596
1,686,080
Mongolian(s)
Mongolian
Khalkh 83.8%, Kazak 3.8%, Durvud 2.6%, Bayad 2%, Buriad 1.4%, Zakhchin 1.2%, Dariganga 1.1%, other 4.1% (2020 est.)
Mongolian 90% (official, Khalkha dialect is predominant), Turkic, Russian (1999)
ะัะปั ะธะนะฝ ะฑะฐัะธะผัะฐั ะฝะพะผ, าฏะฝะดััะฝ ะผัะดััะปะปะธะนะฝ ะทะฐะนะปัะณาฏะน ัั ัััะฒะฐะปะถ. (Mongolian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Buddhist 51.8%, no religion 40.6%, Muslim 3.2%, Shaman 2.5%, Christian 1.3%, Other 0.6% (2020 est.)
25.7% (male 429,867/female 412,943)
68.4% (male 1,087,487/female 1,156,547)
5.9% (2024 est.) (male 78,242/female 116,590)
59.1 (2024 est.)
50.2 (2024 est.)
8.9 (2024 est.)
11.2 (2024 est.)
28.8 years (2025 est.)
30.1 years
32.8 years
1.08% (2025 est.)
18.01 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
5.35 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
-1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population sparsely distributed throughout the country; the capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan support the highest population densities
69.1% of total population (2023)
1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.673 million ULAANBAATAR (capital) (2023)
1.05 male(s)/female
1.04 male(s)/female
0.94 male(s)/female
0.67 male(s)/female
0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
20.5 years (2008 est.)
41 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
22.4 deaths/1,000 live births
16.2 deaths/1,000 live births
71.9 years (2024 est.)
67.8 years
76.3 years
2.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)
1.27 (2025 est.)
Urban: 94.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 59.7% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 83.5% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 5.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 40.3% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 16.5% of population (2022 est.)
6.9% of GDP (2021)
9.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
4.13 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
10.6 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Urban: 97.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 78.7% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 91.9% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 2.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 21.3% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 8.1% of population (2022 est.)
20.6% (2016)
5.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
1.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
1.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
28.9% (2025 est.)
51.9% (2025 est.)
7.2% (2025 est.)
1.9% (2023 est.)
60.2% (2020 est.)
0.9% (2018)
12% (2018)
2.1% (2018)
3.7% of GDP (2023 est.)
13.8% national budget (2024 est.)
98.6% (2023 est.)
98.3% (2023 est.)
98.9% (2023 est.)
14 years (2023 est.)
13 years (2023 est.)
14 years (2023 est.)
๐ฟ Environmentโฌ๏ธ Top
Limited natural freshwater resources in some areas; air pollution from coal-burning power plants and lax regulations in Ulaanbaatar; soil erosion from deforestation and overgrazing; water pollution; desertification; effects from mining
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
None of the selected agreements
Desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
69% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 68.2% (2023 est.)
9.1% (2023 est.)
21.9% (2023 est.)
69.1% of total population (2023)
1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
19.203 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
13.489 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
5.714 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
41.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
532.2 kt (2022-2024 est.)
525.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)
14.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)
2.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
2.9 million tons (2024 est.)
13% (2022 est.)
45.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
166.2 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
250.9 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
34.8 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
๐๏ธ Governmentโฌ๏ธ Top
None
Mongolia
None
Mongol Uls
Outer Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic
Name comes from the Mongol people, whose name derives from the Mongol root word mengu or mongu, meaning "brave" or "unconquered;" the Mongolian name Mongol Uls translates as "Mongol State"
Semi-presidential republic
Ulaanbaatar
47 55 N, 106 55 E
UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
+1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September
Mongolia has two time zones - Ulaanbaatar Time (8 hours in advance of UTC) and Hovd Time (7 hours in advance of UTC)
The name means "red hero" in Mongolian and honors national hero Damdin SUKHBAATAR, leader of the partisan army that, with Soviet help, liberated Mongolia from Chinese occupation in the early 1920s
21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan (Zavkhan), Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
Civil law system influenced by Soviet and Romano-Germanic systems; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts
Several previous; latest adopted 13 January 1992, effective 12 February 1992
Proposed by the State Great Hural, by the president of the republic, by the government, or by petition submitted to the State Great Hural by the Constitutional Court; conducting referenda on proposed amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the State Great Hural; passage of amendments by the State Great Hural requires at least three-quarters majority vote; passage by referendum requires majority participation of qualified voters and a majority of votes
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
No
Both parents must be citizens of Mongolia; one parent if born within Mongolia
No
5 years
18 years of age; universal
President Ukhnaagiin KHURELSUKH (since 25 June 2021)
Prime Minister Gombojavyn ZANDANSHATAR (since 13 June 2025)
Cabinet directly appointed by the prime minister
Presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in the State Great Hural and directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for one 6-year term; following legislative elections, the State Great Hural usually elects the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister
9 June 2021
2021: Ukhnaagiin KHURELSUKH elected president in first round; percent of vote - Ukhnaagiin KHURELSUKH (MPP) 68%, Dangaasuren ENKHBAT (RPEC) 20.1%, Sodnomzundui ERDENE (DP) 6% 2017: Khaltmaa BATTULGA elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Khaltmaa BATTULGA (DP) 38.1%, Miyegombo ENKHBOLD (MPP) 30.3%, Sainkhuu GANBAATAR (MPRP) 30.2%, invalid 1.4%; percent of vote in second round - Khaltmaa BATTULGA 55.2%, Miyegombo ENKHBOLD 44.8%
2027
State Great Hural (Ulsiin Ih Hural)
Unicameral
126 (all directly elected)
Mixed system
Full renewal
4 years
6/28/2024
Mongolian People's Party (MPP) (68); Democratic Party (DP) (42); HUN Party (8); Other (8)
25.4%
June 2028
Supreme Court (consists of the Chief Justice and 24 judges organized into civil, criminal, and administrative chambers); Constitutional Court or Tsets (consists of the chairman and 8 members)
Supreme Court chief justice and judges appointed by the president on recommendation of the General Council of Courts -- a 14-member body of judges and judicial officials -- to the State Great Hural; appointment is for life; chairman of the Constitutional Court elected from among its members; members appointed from nominations by the State Great Hural - 3 each by the president, the State Great Hural, and the Supreme Court; appointment is 6 years; chairmanship limited to a single renewable 3-year term
Aimag (provincial) and capital city appellate courts; soum, inter-soum, and district courts; Administrative Cases Courts
Democratic Party or DP Mongolian People's Party or MPP National Coalition (consists of Mongolian Green Party or MGP and the Mongolian National Democratic Party or MNDP) National Labor Party or HUN Civil Will-Green Party or CWGP
Ambassador BATBAYAR Ulziidelger (since 1 December 2021)
2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
[1] (202) 333-7117
[1] (202) 298-9227
Washington@mfa.gov.mn http://mongolianembassy.us/
New York, San Francisco
Ambassador Richard L. BUANGAN (since November 2022)
Denver Street #3, 11th Micro-District, Ulaanbaatar 14190
4410 Ulaanbaatar Place, Washington DC 20521-4410
[976] 7007-6001
[976] 7007-6174
UlaanbaatarACS@state.gov https://mn.usembassy.gov/
ADB, ARF, CD, CICA, CP, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
29 December 1911 (independence declared from China; in actuality, autonomy attained); 11 July 1921 (from China)
Naadam (games) holiday, 11-15 July; Constitution Day, 26 November (1924)
Description: three equal vertical bands of red (left side), blue, and red; centered on the left-side red band is the national emblem in yellow, the soyombo, which is an abstract representation of fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol meaning: blue stands for the sky, and red for progress and prosperity
Soyombo character (from the Soyombo writing system)
Red, blue, yellow
"Mongol ulsyn toriin duulal" (National Anthem of Mongolia)
Tsendiin DAMDINSUREN/Bilegiin DAMDINSUREN and Luvsanjamts MURJORJ
Music adopted 1950, lyrics adopted 2006; lyrics altered on numerous occasions
6 (4 cultural, 2 natural)
Uvs Nuur Basin (n); Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape (c); Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai (c); Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and surrounding sacred landscape (c); Landscapes of Dauria (n); Deer Stone Monuments and Related Bronze Age Sites (c)
๐น Economyโฌ๏ธ Top
Lower middle-income East Asian economy; large human capital improvements over last 3 decades; agricultural and natural resource rich; export and consumption-led growth; high inflation due to supply bottlenecks and increased food and energy prices; currency depreciation
$59.221 billion (2024 est.)
$56.474 billion (2023 est.)
$52.572 billion (2022 est.)
4.9% (2024 est.)
7.4% (2023 est.)
5% (2022 est.)
$16,800 (2024 est.)
$16,200 (2023 est.)
$15,300 (2022 est.)
$23.586 billion (2024 est.)
6.8% (2024 est.)
10.3% (2023 est.)
15.1% (2022 est.)
7.4% (2024 est.)
38.1% (2024 est.)
44.2% (2024 est.)
49.8% (2024 est.)
16.3% (2024 est.)
26.8% (2024 est.)
7.8% (2024 est.)
69.1% (2024 est.)
-69.8% (2024 est.)
Milk, wheat, lamb/mutton, potatoes, beef, carrots/turnips, goat milk, goat meat, bison milk, horse meat (2023)
Construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing
6.5% (2024 est.)
1.449 million (2024 est.)
5.5% (2024 est.)
5.6% (2023 est.)
6.3% (2022 est.)
13.8% (2024 est.)
15.9% (2024 est.)
10.8% (2024 est.)
27.1% (2022 est.)
31.4 (2022 est.)
3.4% (2022 est.)
24.6% (2022 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
2.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
3.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
$4.721 billion (2021 est.)
$5.623 billion (2021 est.)
67.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
16.9% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
$121.266 million (2023 est.)
-$2.303 billion (2022 est.)
-$2.108 billion (2021 est.)
$15.501 billion (2023 est.)
$10.989 billion (2022 est.)
$8.95 billion (2021 est.)
China 92%, Switzerland 6%, Italy 1%, Thailand 0%, Japan 0% (2023)
Coal, copper ore, gold, iron ore, crude petroleum (2023)
$13.545 billion (2023 est.)
$12.112 billion (2022 est.)
$9.256 billion (2021 est.)
China 57%, Japan 13%, Germany 3%, Singapore 3%, USA 3% (2023)
Cars, trucks, trailers, tractors, construction vehicles (2023)
$5.508 billion (2024 est.)
$4.916 billion (2023 est.)
$3.398 billion (2022 est.)
$8.379 billion (2023 est.)
Togrog/tugriks (MNT) per US dollar -
3,389.982 (2024 est.)
3,465.737 (2023 est.)
3,140.678 (2022 est.)
2,849.289 (2021 est.)
2,813.29 (2020 est.)
โก Energyโฌ๏ธ Top
100% (2022 est.)
1.51 million kW (2023 est.)
8.997 billion kWh (2023 est.)
24 million kWh (2023 est.)
2.224 billion kWh (2023 est.)
1.113 billion kWh (2023 est.)
90.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
2.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
6.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
64.824 million metric tons (2023 est.)
8.941 million metric tons (2023 est.)
55.884 million metric tons (2023 est.)
900 metric tons (2023 est.)
2.52 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
39,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
67.132 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
๐ก Communicationsโฌ๏ธ Top
524,000 (2023 est.)
15 (2023 est.)
4.84 million (2023 est.)
142 (2022 est.)
State-run radio and TV provider is now a public-service provider; also available are 68 radio and 160 TV stations, including multi-channel satellite and cable TV providers; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2019)
.mn
83% (2023 est.)
499,000 (2023 est.)
15 (2023 est.)
๐ Transportationโฌ๏ธ Top
JU
37 (2025)
1,815 km (2017)
1,815 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge
318 (2023)
Bulk carrier 8, container ship 8, general cargo 151, oil tanker 58, other 93
๐ก๏ธ Military and Securityโฌ๏ธ Top
Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF): Land Force, Air Force, Cyber Security Forces, Special Forces, Construction-Engineering Forces (2025)
0.7% of GDP (2024 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
Information varies; estimated 10-20,000 active Mongolian Armed Forces (2025)
The MAF's inventory is comprised largely of Soviet-era and secondhand Russian equipment (2025)
18-25 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; initial service 24 months; compulsory service for men at 18; service obligation is 12 months in the military or police, which can be extended to 15 months under special circumstances; compulsory service can be exchanged for a 24โmonth stint in the civil service or a cash payment determined by the Mongolian Government; after conscription, soldiers can contract into military service for up to 4 years (2025)
850 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2025)
The Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) are responsible for ensuring the country's independence, security, and territorial integrity, as well as supporting Mongolia's developmental goals and diplomacy; it has a range of missions, including counterterrorism, international peacekeeping duties, and assisting the internal security forces in providing emergency aid and disaster relief; Mongolia hosts an annual international peacekeeping exercise known as โKhaan Questโ; it has no formal military alliances, but has defense ties and conducts training exercises with several regional countries and others, such as China, India, Russia, and the US Mongolia actively cooperates with NATO on issues such as counterterrorism, nonproliferation, and cybersecurity through an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Program; it supported the NATO-led Kosovo Force from 2005-2007 and contributed troops to the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan from 2009-2021; Mongolia also is an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (2025)
๐ Transnational Issuesโฌ๏ธ Top
26 (2024 est.)
22 (2024 est.)
17 (2024 est.)
Source: Factbook JSON archive.