Population The total population is approximately 2,4 million, more than half lives in the urban areas. The majority of the population are Khalkha Mongols, with some Kazakhs and Buryat and Durvud Mongols and other minority groups. Religion Traditionally, Mongols practiced Shamanism, worshipping the Blue Sky. However, Tibetan Buddhism (also called Varyana Buddhism) gained more popularity after it was introduced in 16th century. Languages Mongolian is the official language and belongs to Altai language group. Kazakh is spoken by 5 percent of the population. Many Mongolian dialects are spoken on spots. English, German and Russian are more popular foreign languages in Mongolia.