Mongolia

Broadcast media

following a law passed in 2005, Mongolia's state-run radio and TV provider converted to a public service provider; also available are 69 radio and 131 TV stations, including multi-channel satellite and cable TV providers; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2017)

Internet country code

.mn

Internet users

total: 674,949 | percent of population: 22.3% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Telephone system

general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas; a fiber-optic network has been installed that is improving broadband and communication services between major urban centers with multiple companies providing inter-city fiber-optic cable services | domestic: very low fixed-line teledensity; there are four mobile-cellular providers and subscribership is increasing | international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7 (2016)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 225,287 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 3,367,573 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 111 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses

Budget

revenues: $2.623 billion | expenditures: $3.711 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-10% of GDP (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Central bank discount rate

12% (14 January 2016 ) | 13% (15 January 2015) | country comparison to the world: 15

Commercial bank prime lending rate

19.9% (31 December 2017 est.) | 19.74% (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

Current account balance

-$532 million (2017 est.) | -$700 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 110

Debt - external

$22.28 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $19.79 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Distribution of family income - Gini index

36.5 (2008) | 32.8 (2002) | country comparison to the world: 85

Economy - overview

Foreign direct investment in Mongolia's extractive industries – which are based on extensive deposits of copper, gold, coal, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and tungsten - has transformed Mongolia's landlocked economy from its traditional dependence on herding and agriculture. Exports now account for more than 40% of GDP. Mongolia depends on China for more than 60% of its external trade - China receives some 90% of Mongolia's exports and supplies Mongolia with more than one-third of its imports. Mongolia also relies on Russia for 90% of its energy supplies, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad, particularly in South Korea, are significant. | Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession, because of political inaction, and natural disasters, as well as strong economic growth, because of market reforms and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. The country opened a fledgling stock exchange in 1991. Mongolia joined the WTO in 1997 and seeks to expand its participation in regional economic and trade regimes. | Growth averaged nearly 9% per year in 2004-08 largely because of high copper prices globally and new gold production. By late 2008, Mongolia was hit by the global financial crisis and Mongolia's real economy contracted 1.3% in 2009. In early 2009, the IMF reached a $236 million Stand-by Arrangement with Mongolia and it emerged from the crisis with a stronger banking sector and better fiscal management. In October 2009, Mongolia passed long-awaited legislation on an investment agreement to develop the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) mine, among the world's largest untapped copper-gold deposits. However, a dispute with foreign investors developing OT called into question the attractiveness of Mongolia as a destination for foreign investment. This caused a severe drop in FDI, and a slowing economy, leading to the dismissal of Prime Minister ALTANKHUYAG in November 2014. The economy had grown more than 10% per year between 2011 and 2013 - largely on the strength of commodity exports and high government spending - before slowing to 7.8% in 2014, and falling to the 2% level in 2015 through 2017, even though government spending remained high. | The May 2015 agreement with Rio Tinto to restart the OT mine and the subsequent $4.4 billion finance package signing in December 2015 stemmed the loss of investor confidence. The current government has made restoring investor trust and reviving the economy its top priority, but has failed to invigorate the economy in the face of the large dropoff in foreign direct investment, mounting external debt, and a sizeable budget deficit. However, Mongolia reached staff-level agreement with the IMF in February 2017 on an Extended Fund Facility program, and once approved by the IMF Board, the program is expected to improve Mongolia’s long-term fiscal and economic stability.

Exchange rates

togrog/tugriks (MNT) per US dollar - | 2,378.1 (2017 est.) | 2,140.3 (2016 est.) | 2,140.3 (2015 est.) | 1,970.3 (2014 est.) | 1,817.9 (2013 est.)

Exports

$5.676 billion (2017 est.) | $4.804 billion (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Exports - commodities

copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals, coal, crude oil

Exports - partners

China 84.1%, UK 6.8% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$10.87 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$38.4 billion (2017 est.) | $37.63 billion (2016 est.) | $37.27 billion (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars | country comparison to the world: 120

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 51.9% | government consumption: 13.7% | investment in fixed capital: 21.7% | investment in inventories: 4.1% | exports of goods and services: 70.8% | imports of goods and services: -62.1% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 13.2% | industry: 36.1% | services: 50.7% (2017 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$12,600 (2017 est.) | $12,500 (2016 est.) | $12,600 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars | country comparison to the world: 121

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2017 est.) | 1% (2016 est.) | 2.4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Gross national saving

29.3% of GDP (2017 est.) | 25.9% of GDP (2016 est.) | 21.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 13.8% | highest 10%: 8.8% (2016)

Imports

$4.196 billion (2017 est.) | $3.466 billion (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, cigarettes and tobacco, appliances, soap and detergent

Imports - partners

China 33.2%, Russia 25.6%, South Korea 8.6%, Japan 7% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

6.1% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.4% (2017 est.) | 0.6% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Labor force

1.24 million (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 31.1% | industry: 18.5% | services: 50.5% (2016)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$632.6 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $766.1 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.095 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 110

Population below poverty line

21.6% (2014 est.)

Public debt

91.4% of GDP (2017 est.) | 90% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Stock of broad money

$6.257 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $4.851 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$475.2 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $455.2 million (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$19.42 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $16.28 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 84

Stock of domestic credit

$9.406 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $7.326 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Stock of narrow money

$1.109 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $839.6 million (31 December 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Taxes and other revenues

24.1% of GDP (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Unemployment rate

8% (2017 est.) | 7.9% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

14 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Crude oil - exports

14,360 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Crude oil - production

23,430 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2017) | country comparison to the world: 163

Electricity - consumption

5.785 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Electricity - exports

51 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86

Electricity - from fossil fuels

94.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136

Electricity - from other renewable sources

5.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 96

Electricity - imports

1.427 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Electricity - installed generating capacity

1.106 million kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - production

5.192 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

Electricity access

population without electricity: 300,000 | electrification - total population: 90% | electrification - urban areas: 98% | electrification - rural areas: 73% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 203

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 167

Refined petroleum products - consumption

26,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Refined petroleum products - imports

24,380 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 109

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Area

total: 1,564,116 sq km | land: 1,553,556 sq km | water: 10,560 sq km | country comparison to the world: 20

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alaska; more than twice the size of Texas

Climate

desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

mean elevation: 1,528 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Hoh Nuur 560 m | highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Khuiten Peak) 4,374 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 105 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

Irrigated land

840 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 8,082 km | border countries (2): China 4,630 km, Russia 3,452 km

Land use

agricultural land: 73% | arable land 0.4%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 72.6% | forest: 7% | other: 20% (2011 est.)

Location

Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

dust storms; grassland and forest fires; drought; "zud," which is harsh winter conditions

Natural resources

oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron

Population - distribution

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

Terrain

vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Administrative divisions

21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - 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

Capital

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

Citizenship

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

Constitution

history: several previous; latest adopted 13 January 1992, effective 12 February 1992 | amendments: 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; amended 1999, 2001 (2017)

Country name

conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Mongolia | local long form: none | local short form: Mongol Uls | former: Outer Mongolia | etymology: the name means "Land of the Mongols" in Latin; the Mongolian name Mongol Uls translates as "Mongol State"

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: Denver Street | mailing address: P.O. Box 341, Ulaanbaatar 14192 | telephone: [976] 7007-6001 | FAX: [976] 7007-6016

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D’Affaires Bold BAT-OCHR (since 17 September 2017) | chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 | telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 | FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 | consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco

Executive branch

chief of state: President Khaltmaa BATTULGA (since 10 July 2017) | head of government: Prime Minister Ukhnaa KHURELSUKH (since 4 October 2017); Deputy Prime Minister Ulziisaikhan ENKHTUVSHUN (since 18 October 2017); note - Prime Minister Jargaltulga ERDENEBAT (since 8 July 2016) was voted out of office by the Parliament on 7 September 2017 | cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president, confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) | elections/appointments: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in the State Great Hural and directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 June 2017 with a runoff held 9 July 2017 (next to be held in 2021); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural | election results: 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%

Flag description

three, equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol); blue represents the sky, red symbolizes progress and prosperity

Government type

semi-presidential republic

Independence

29 December 1911 (independence declared from China; in actuality, autonomy attained); 11 July 1921 (from China)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the Chief Justice and 24 judges organized into civil, criminal, and administrative chambers); Constitutional Court or Tsets (consists of a chairman and 8 members) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice and judges appointed by the president upon recommendation to the State Great Hural by the General Council of Courts, a 14-member body of judges and judicial officials; term of appointment is for life; chairman of the Constitutional Court elected from among its members; members appointed by the State Great Hural upon nominations - 3 each by the president, the State Great Hural, and the Supreme Court; term of appointment is 6 years; chairmanship limited to a single renewable 3-year term | subordinate courts: aimag (provincial) and capital city appellate courts; soum, inter-soum, and district courts; Administrative Cases Courts

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

description: unicameral State Great Hural or Ulsyn Ikh Khural (76 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; each constituency requires at least 50% voter participation for the poll to be valid; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 29 June 2016 (next to be held in June 2020) | election results: percent of vote by party - MPP 45.1%, DP 33.1%, MPRP 8.0%, independent 4.8%, other 9.0%; seats by party - MPP 65, DP 9, MPRP 1, independent 1

National anthem

name: "Mongol ulsyn toriin duulal" (National Anthem of Mongolia) | lyrics/music: Tsendiin DAMDINSUREN/Bilegiin DAMDINSUREN and Luvsanjamts MURJORJ | note: music adopted 1950, lyrics adopted 2006; lyrics altered on numerous occasions

National holiday

Naadam (games) holiday (commemorates independence from China in the 1921 Revolution), 11-15 July; Constitution Day (marks the date that the Mongolian People's Republic was created under a new constitution), 26 November (1924)

National symbol(s)

soyombo emblem; national colors: red, blue, yellow

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party or DP [Sodnomzundui ERDENE] | Mongolian National Democratic Party or MNDP [Bayanjargal TSOGTGEREL] | Mongolian People's Party or MPP [Miyegombo ENKHBOLD] | Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambar ENKHBAYAR]

Political pressure groups and leaders

human rights groups; women's rights groups; disability rights groups

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia declared its independence from the Manchu-led Qing Empire in 1911 and achieved limited autonomy until 1919, when it again came under Chinese control. The Mongolian Revolution of 1921 ended Chinese dominance, and a communist regime, the Mongolian People’s Republic, took power in 1924. | The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; today, more ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Since the country's peaceful democratic revolution in 1990, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) - which took the name Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) in 2010 - has competed for political power with the Democratic Party (DP) and several other smaller parties, including a new party formed by former President ENKHBAYAR, which confusingly adopted for itself the MPRP name. In the country's most recent parliamentary elections in June 2016, Mongolians handed the MPP overwhelming control of Parliament, largely pushing out the DP, which had overseen a sharp decline in Mongolia’s economy during its control of Parliament in the preceding years. Mongolians elected a DP member, Khaltmaa BATTULGA, as president in 2017.

Military branches

Mongolian Armed Forces (Mongol ulsyn zevsegt huchin): Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air Force (2016)

Military expenditures

0.92% of GDP (2016) | 0.87% of GDP (2015) | 0.86% of GDP (2014) | 0.82% of GDP (2013) | 0.92% of GDP (2012) | country comparison to the world: 90

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 1-year conscript service obligation in army or air forces or police for males only; after conscription, soldiers can contract into military service for 2 or 4 years; citizens can also voluntarily join the armed forces (2017)

Age structure

0-14 years: 26.95% (male 421,675/female 405,298) | 15-24 years: 16.09% (male 249,805/female 243,784) | 25-54 years: 45.6% (male 677,679/female 721,435) | 55-64 years: 7.07% (male 99,099/female 117,818) | 65 years and over: 4.29% (male 53,364/female 78,286) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

18.9 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.6% (2013) | country comparison to the world: 92

Contraceptive prevalence rate

54.6% (2013)

Death rate

6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 48.5 | youth dependency ratio: 42.7 | elderly dependency ratio: 5.8 | potential support ratio: 17.3 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 66.4% of population | rural: 59.2% of population | total: 64.4% of population | urban: 33.6% of population | rural: 40.8% of population | total: 35.6% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.6% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 58

Ethnic groups

Khalkh 81.9%, Kazak 3.8%, Dorvod 2.7%, Bayad 2.1%, Buryat-Bouriates 1.7%, Zakhchin 1.2%, Dariganga 1%, Uriankhai 1%, other 4.6% (2010 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

<.1% (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<100 (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

<500 (2016 est.)

Health expenditures

4.7% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 153

Hospital bed density

6.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 21.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 24.2 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 17.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.9 years | male: 65.7 years | female: 74.4 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 98.4% | male: 98.2% | female: 98.6% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

ULAANBAATAR (capital) 1.377 million (2015)

Maternal mortality ratio

44 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Median age

total: 28.3 years | male: 27.5 years | female: 29.2 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.5 years | note: median age at first birth among women 20-24 (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Mongolian(s) | adjective: Mongolian

Net migration rate

-0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

20.6% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 96

Physicians density

2.88 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

Population

3,068,243 | note: Mongolia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world (2 people per sq km); twice as many ethnic Mongols (some 6 million) live in Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol) in neighboring China (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

1.18% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Religions

Buddhist 53%, Muslim 3%, Shamanist 2.9%, Christian 2.2%, other 0.4%, none 38.6% (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 66.4% of population | rural: 42.6% of population | total: 59.7% of population | urban: 33.6% of population | rural: 57.4% of population | total: 40.3% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years | male: 14 years | female: 16 years (2015)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.94 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female | total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.09 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 17.9% | male: 16.8% | female: 19.4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Urbanization

urban population: 73.6% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 2.23% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons: 14 (2016)

Airports

44 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 98

Airports - with paved runways

total: 15 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 29 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

JU (2016)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 261 | by type: bulk carrier 8, container ship 5, general cargo 101, oil tanker 67, other 80 (2017) | country comparison to the world: 58

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 3 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 541,129 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7,130,148 mt-km (2015)

Railways

total: 1,815 km | broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.520-m gauge | note: national operator Ulaanbaatar Railway is jointly owned by the Mongolian Government and by the Russian State Railway (2016) | country comparison to the world: 76

Roadways

total: 49,249 km | paved: 4,800 km | unpaved: 44,449 km (2013) | country comparison to the world: 79

Waterways

580 km (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) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 81