Religions in Mongolia

In Mongolia, the total population is just 3.4 million people. Even though there are a variety of religions followed in Mongolia, 40.6% of citizens who are over the age of 15 state that they do not follow any religion. This means that only 59.4% of the country’s population follows any religion at all. Of these people, 87.1% identify as Buddhist, 5.4% as Muslim, 4.2% as Shamanist, 2.2% as Christian, and 1.1% of people follow other religions. Some followers in Mongolia have also been known to follow multiple religions at once or blend two together.

Buddhism spread to Mongolia in the mid-13th century. Although most Buddhist people in Mongolia follow Mahayana Buddhism, Mongolian people in the past have helped spread Tibetan Buddhism so widely and successfully that it is sometimes referred to as “Mongolian Buddhism.”

The area where the most Muslim people are located in Mongolia is called Nalaih, and Muslim people have been living there for over 150 years. Across Mongolia, there are around 20 mosques for Muslim people. The mosques are built like Chinese temples and may be decorated with Buddhist styles.

Mongolian Shamanists do not all follow one creed, and Shamanism tends to be followed differently by the people in Mongolia. Shamanism is centered mainly around spirits that connect to the land and sky. Another large part of this religion is having a strong connection to one’s ancestors. Some believe that an ancestor can be represented by an object called an “Ongon,” which must be handled with utmost care.

Christianity appears to be a growing religion in Mongolia. In the past, Christianity was a religion that was declining in popularity, specifically when one of Genghis Khan’s descendants decided to follow Islam rather than Christianity, resulting in a loss of Christian followers.

The religions of Mongolia have helped shape the country by affecting its culture, traditions, and art, among other things. Because of Shamanism, there are multiple different festivals that occur in Mongolia, including Tsagaan Sar, which is the Mongolian Lunar New Year. The architecture in Mongolia has also been affected by the religions in the area. For example, Tibetan design is very popular in the temples around the country. The Tsam dance has also been added to the country’s cultural traditions. The Tsam dance is a sacred Buddhist dance in which beautiful clothes and masks are used to chase away bad spirits. Even the symbols on the Mongolian flag have Buddhist meanings.

As of 2019, Mongolia has been particularly good about being religiously tolerant. Its constitution states that citizens have the right to “freedom of conscience and religion.” Generally, Mongolia is very respectful toward other religions and does not have very much religious discrimination.

The religions in Mongolia are a beautiful mix of different ideas and beliefs that come together to help form the country. The different religions have helped change each other, as well as leaving their own individual and distinct imprint on the wonderful country of Mongolia.