Capital

Mongolei

name: Ulaanbaatar

geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September

time zone note: Mongolia has two time zones - Ulaanbaatar Time (8 hours in advance of UTC) and Hovd Time (7 hours in advance of UTC)

etymology: the name means "red hero" in Mongolian and honors national hero Damdin SUKHBAATAR, leader of the partisan army that with Soviet Red Army help, liberated Mongolia from Chinese occupation in the early 1920s

Citizenship

Mongolei

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Mongolia; one parent if born within Mongolia

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Mongolei

civil law system influenced by Soviet and Romano-Germanic legal systems; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage

Mongolei

18 years of age; universal

Area

Mongolei

total: 1,564,116 sq km

land: 1,553,556 sq km

water: 10,560 sq km

Land use

Mongolei

agricultural land: 73% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 72.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 7% (2018 est.)

other: 20% (2018 est.)

Location

Mongolei

Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Age structure

Mongolei

0-14 years: 26.16% (male 434,400/female 417,335)

15-64 years: 68.24% (male 1,076,692/female 1,144,759)

65 years and over: 5.6% (2023 est.) (male 73,245/female 109,037)

Birth rate

Mongolei

15.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Mongolei

6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Mongolei

Mongolian 90% (official) (Khalkha dialect is predominant), Turkic, Russian (1999)

major-language sample(s):
Дэлхийн баримтат ном, үндсэн мэдээллийн зайлшгүй эх сурвалж. (Mongolian)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Mongolei

total population: 71.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 67.5 years

female: 76 years

Major urban areas - population

Mongolei

1.673 million ULAANBAATAR (capital) (2023)

Median age

Mongolei

total: 31.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 29.9 years

female: 32.2 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Mongolei

20.5 years (2008 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-24

Net migration rate

Mongolei

-0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Mongolei

sparsely distributed population throughout the country; the capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan support the highest population densities

Population growth rate

Mongolei

0.83% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Mongolei

1.89 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Mongolei

urban population: 69.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Mongolei

4.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Mongolei

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 16 years (2019)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Mongolei

-6.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Mongolei

-2.22% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Mongolei

1.331 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Mongolei

28.4% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Mongolei

7.08% (2021 est.)

7.01% (2020 est.)

5.44% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Mongolei

73.94% of GDP (2020 est.)

60.84% of GDP (2019 est.)

65.97% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Mongolei

7.35% (2021 est.)

3.8% (2020 est.)

7.3% (2019 est.)

Exports

Mongolei

$8.95 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$7.646 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$8.416 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Mongolei

China 73%, Switzerland 19%, Singapore 2%, South Korea 2%, Russia 1% (2021)

Imports

Mongolei

$9.256 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$7.34 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$9.249 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Mongolei

China 37%, Russia 27%, Japan 7%, South Korea 5%, Germany 3% (2021)

Airports

Mongolei

44 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Mongolei

total: 307,166 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Mongolei

total: 2.772 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 84% (2021 est.)

Railways

Mongolei

total: 1,815 km (2017)

broad gauge: 1,815 km (2017) 1.520-m gauge

note: national operator Ulaanbaatar Railway is jointly owned by the Mongolian Government and by the Russian State Railway

Roadways

Mongolei

total: 113,200 km (2017)

paved: 10,600 km (2017)

unpaved: 102,600 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Mongolei

total subscriptions: 399,237 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Mongolei

total subscriptions: 4,687,304 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Mongolei

580 km (2010) (the only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol) (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers ice-free from May to September)

Disputes - international

Mongolei

none identified