Mongolian - Worldwide Distribution

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Mongolian is spoken almost exclusively in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (i.e. China). In the state of Mongolia, it is spoken by around 2.8 million people, while there are around 2.8 million speakers in Inner Mongolia. Outside of these areas, there are only a few small communities of speakers in Russia and the Mongolian diaspora.

Distribution Mongolian► Interactive map

Development of language and script

Picture Mongolian The Mongolian language has its roots deep in the history of the Mongolian steppes, where it was spoken by the nomadic tribes. The first known form of Mongolian developed around the 13th century during the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan. The language of that time, Middle Mongolian, was used in many official documents and in the famous "Secret History of the Mongols", the oldest known work of Mongolian literature.

With the disintegration of the Mongol Empire in the 14th century, various dialects began to develop. Today's standard Mongolian, also known as Chalcha-Mongolian, is based on the dialect of the Chalchas, a subgroup of Mongols living in Mongolia. This form was standardized from the 20th century onwards and has largely replaced classical Mongolian in official and educational contexts.

The script has also undergone several developments over the course of history. Originally, Mongolian was written using the Uyghur script. In the 17th century, the traditional Mongolian script was introduced, which is still used in Inner Mongolia today. The Cyrillic alphabet was introduced in Mongolia in 1941 and remains the predominant script to this day.

CountryOfficial languageDistributionTotal
Mongoliayes80.0 %2,820,000
Chinano0.2 %2,818,000
Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers — not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Mongolian as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.

Official language, national language or lingua franca: explanation of frequently used terms

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