Introduction Alcohol consumption and smoking have being common health problems globally including Mongolia. The objective of this survey was to examine the epidemiology of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking in the elder population of Mongolia.

Methods A cross-sectional study was carried covering urban and rural areas in Mongolia and used a standardised questionnaire according to WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance manual.

Results A total of 2280 people completed the study. The prevalence of smoking was 24.0% with significantly more in males (50.5%) as compared to in females (8.3%) (p=0.0001). Among smokers, mean age of initiation to smoking was 23.5 (±9.7) years and this was differed by sex whereas males started smoking at the age of 21.1 (±7.8) years and females started smoking at the age of 30.2 (±11.0) years. Mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 11.1 (±7.8) among current daily smokers. Men smoked 12.3 (±8.1) cigarettes daily and women smoked 8.1 (±6.3) cigarettes daily. About six out of ten people using alcohol in last 12 months (60.3%). Alcohol consumption was different in gender (in men 75.6%, women 51.2%), in age group (in age 40–44 was 67.0%, in age above 60 was 45.1%) and in education level (in primary education 27.7%, in master degree 74.5%). Binge drinking was 19.6% in participants and different by sex (in men 34.2%, in women 10.8%, p=0.0001) and location (in rural 24.1%, urban 16.2%).

Conclusion Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were different by gender, residence and education level in Mongolian adults.