Almost 90% of the populations of Mongolia are Khalkh Mongols, while the rest are Kazakhs or other ethnic groups living mainly in the western part of the country. The primary language is Mongolian, a member of the Altai language family. Many people also speak some Russian due to the heavy influence of the former Soviet Union in Mongolia, and young people now study English along with other foreign languages such as Japanese, German, Korean, Chinese and French. The most common religion in the country is Tibetan Buddhism, which has enjoyed a strong revival since the end of communism in the late-1980s. Other religions are freely practiced, and include a substantial Muslim following in the western areas of the country.

Mongolia is administratively divided into 21 aimags (provinces) and 334 soums (counties). The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar which has a population of about 1 million.