The dominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, practiced by roughly 53% of the population, followed by a large unaffiliated share of around 39%, with smaller communities of Muslims, shamanists, and Christians. Mongolia's spiritual life today reflects both a deep revival of Buddhist tradition after decades of Communist suppression and a living continuation of the nomadic sky-worship and shamanism that long predated it. Few countries have swung so sharply from state-enforced atheism to open religious flourishing within a single generation, which makes Mongolia one of the most fascinating case studies of belief in modern Asia.
Mongolia's Religious Breakdown Today
Religion in Mongolia is shaped by centuries of nomadic culture, imperial conquest, and a 20th-century rupture under Soviet-aligned rule. The approximate distribution of faiths is as follows:
- Tibetan Buddhism: around 53% of the population, by far the largest faith
- No religion / unaffiliated: around 39%, a legacy of decades of state atheism
- Islam: about 3%, concentrated among the ethnic Kazakh minority in the west
- Shamanism: about 3%, often practiced alongside or blended with Buddhism
- Christianity: about 2%, mostly the result of post-1990 missionary activity
These categories overlap in practice. Many Mongolians who identify as Buddhist also honor shamanic customs, make offerings at sacred cairns, and observe folk rituals tied to the land and sky. Religious identity is frequently cultural and ancestral rather than strictly doctrinal. A herder in the countryside might keep a small Buddhist altar in the family ger, tie prayer scarves to a sacred tree, and still consult a shaman in times of crisis, seeing no contradiction between these acts. This blending is so common that surveys of religion in Mongolia rarely capture the full texture of everyday belief, where the line between Buddhism and the older folk traditions is deliberately soft.
A History Stretching From Tengrism to Today
Long before Buddhism arrived, Mongolian nomads practiced Tengrism, the worship of the eternal blue sky (Tengri), alongside shamanism that linked the living to ancestral and nature spirits. Genghis Khan, who united the Mongol tribes in the early 13th century, was famously tolerant of all faiths and exempted religious leaders across his empire from taxation.
Tibetan Buddhism gained a foothold during the Mongol Empire and became firmly dominant in the 16th century under Altan Khan, who granted the title "Dalai Lama" to the leader of the Gelug school. By the time of the theocratic Bogd Khanate in the early 20th century, the Bogd Khan served as both spiritual and secular ruler. That golden age ended abruptly: from the late 1920s into the 1930s the Communist government launched a brutal campaign against religion, destroying more than 700 monasteries and killing or forcibly defrocking around 17,000 monks. After the democratic revolution of 1990, freedom of religion returned, and Buddhism, shamanism, and Christianity all began to flourish again.
Tibetan Buddhism and Its Mongolian Character
Mongolian Buddhism belongs overwhelmingly to the Gelug, or "Yellow Hat," school, the same tradition led by the Dalai Lama in Tibet. This shared lineage created centuries of close ties between Mongolian monasteries and the great Tibetan religious centers, with Mongolian monks traditionally traveling to Lhasa for advanced study and many sacred texts circulating in classical Tibetan rather than Mongolian. The Dalai Lama remains a deeply revered figure for ordinary Mongolians, and his visits to the country have drawn enormous crowds.
Yet Mongolian Buddhism is not simply Tibetan Buddhism transplanted. It absorbed local color from the steppe: protective deities took on Mongolian forms, festivals were timed to the herding calendar, and the visual arts produced distinctive masters such as the 17th-century sculptor and spiritual leader Zanabazar, the first Bogd Gegeen, whose graceful bronze Buddhas are national treasures. The institution of reincarnate lamas (tulkus) anchored religious authority, and monasteries became centers not only of worship but of medicine, astronomy, art, and education across an otherwise sparsely settled land.
Living Practices and Sacred Customs
Mongolian Buddhist devotion is woven into daily life. Worshippers circumambulate monasteries and stupas clockwise, spin prayer wheels, and consult lamas for auspicious dates for travel, weddings, and business. The dramatic Tsam dance, performed by masked monks embodying protective deities, is a striking ritual reborn since 1990.
Shamanic practice has seen a powerful revival, with registered associations of shamans who enter trance states through drumming to commune with ancestor and nature spirits. Across the steppe, travelers add stones to ovoo cairns and walk around them three times, making offerings for safe passage; drivers often honk as they pass in a gesture of respect. Milk libations to the sky and earth remain common among herding families. Major festivals carry spiritual weight too: Tsagaan Sar, the lunar new year or "White Month," involves temple visits and family rites, while the western Kazakh Muslim communities observe Ramadan and Islamic holidays and maintain their celebrated golden eagle hunting tradition.
Religious Minorities: Islam, Shamanism, and Christianity
Although Buddhism dominates, Mongolia's minority faiths each tell a distinct story. Islam is overwhelmingly the religion of the ethnic Kazakhs of Bayan-Olgii and neighboring western provinces, who follow Sunni traditions and form a culturally separate community with their own language, dress, and the world-famous practice of hunting with trained golden eagles. Shamanism, rather than being a relic, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual movements, especially in urban areas where city dwellers seek a connection to ancestral identity; some critics worry about commercialization, but its cultural pull is undeniable.
Christianity, almost nonexistent before 1990, has grown quickly through Protestant and evangelical missions, with the largest concentrations in Ulaanbaatar. A smaller Catholic presence and a Russian Orthodox community linked to historical ties with Russia round out the picture. Mongolia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the state maintains a generally tolerant stance, though it formally recognizes Buddhism's special role in national heritage.
Monasteries and Holy Sites
Mongolia's revived religious landscape is anchored by remarkable monasteries:
- Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, the country's most important active center, home to a towering 26-meter gilded statue of Avalokiteshvara (Migjid Janraisig).
- Erdene Zuu Monastery near Karakorum, built in 1585 on the ruins of the old imperial capital and the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in the country.
- Amarbayasgalant Monastery in the north, prized as one of the finest examples of Mongolian Buddhist architecture and spared the worst of the purges thanks to its remote location.
- Shankh Monastery, one of the few that endured the Communist destruction.
- Ovoo cairns, the sacred stone piles scattered across hills, passes, and roadsides throughout the country.
Why Religion Rebounded So Strongly
The speed of Mongolia's religious recovery is striking. Where the state once razed monasteries, more than 200 have been restored or newly founded since 1990. Buddhism functions as a marker of national identity as much as personal belief, tying modern Mongolians to the era of Genghis Khan and the Bogd Khan. Shamanism's resurgence reflects renewed pride in pre-Buddhist nomadic heritage, while Christianity has grown chiefly in urban areas. For travelers exploring the country's culture, religion is inseparable from the wider story told in our mongolia country guide.
Key Facts
- Largest religion: Tibetan Buddhism (Gelug school), about 53% of the population
- Unaffiliated: around 39%, a legacy of 20th-century state atheism
- Minority faiths: Islam (~3%, mostly ethnic Kazakhs), shamanism (~3%), Christianity (~2%)
- Pre-Buddhist tradition: Tengrism, worship of the eternal blue sky, and shamanism
- Communist suppression: 700+ monasteries destroyed and ~17,000 monks killed or defrocked in the 1930s
- Most important monastery: Gandantegchinlen in Ulaanbaatar
- Religious freedom: guaranteed by the constitution since the 1990 democratic revolution
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main religion in Mongolia?
The main religion is Tibetan Buddhism, followed by roughly 53% of Mongolians. It shares the same Gelug tradition as Tibet and shaped Mongolian art, architecture, and festivals for centuries.
Is Mongolia a Buddhist or Muslim country?
Mongolia is overwhelmingly Buddhist. Islam is the faith of about 3% of the population, almost entirely the ethnic Kazakh minority living in the western provinces, especially Bayan-Olgii.
What religion did Mongolians follow before Buddhism?
Before Tibetan Buddhism took hold, Mongolians practiced Tengrism, the worship of the eternal sky, together with shamanism centered on ancestor and nature spirits. These traditions never fully disappeared and are practiced again today.
Why did Mongolia have so few religious people during the 20th century?
The Communist government suppressed religion from the 1920s onward, destroying hundreds of monasteries and persecuting thousands of monks. Decades of enforced atheism explain why a large share of Mongolians still report no religious affiliation.