Factbook
History of Mongolia — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Mongolia, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
Last updated: October 2026
1911After Manchu rule collapsed in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, finally winning it in 1921 with help from the Soviet Union.
1911Independence: 29 December 1911 (independence declared from China; in actuality, autonomy attained); 11 July 1921 (from China).
1924Mongolia became a socialist state (the Mongolian People’s Republic) in 1924.
1989Until 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.
1990Mongolia peacefully transitioned to an independent democracy in 1990.
1992In 1992, it adopted a new constitution and established a free-market economy.
1999Languages: Mongolian 90% (official, Khalkha dialect is predominant), Turkic, Russian (1999) Religions: Buddhist 51.8%, no religion 40.6%, Muslim 3.2%, Shaman 2.5%, Christian 1.3%, Other 0.6% (2020 est.) Urban population: 69.1% of total population (2023).
2010Throughout the period, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party -- which took the name Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) in 2010 -- has competed for political power with the Democratic Party and several other smaller parties.
2021For 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.
2021Mongolia’s June 2021 presidential election delivered a decisive victory for MPP candidate Ukhnaagiin KHURELSUKH.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 90.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 6.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 67.132 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: 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 Agriculture: milk, wheat, lamb/mutton, potatoes, beef, carrots/turnips, goat milk, goat meat, bison milk, horse meat (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.673 million ULAANBAATAR (capital) (2023) 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 Inflation: 6.8% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 0.7% of GDP (2024 est.).