On November 27, the Parliament discussed a draft amendment to the Law on Tobacco Control that would raise excise taxes on tobacco in stages through 2030, a move the government says will fund school lunches, improve food nutrition and support student education.
Mongolia first adopted the Law on Combating the Harms of Tobacco in 1993, revising it in 2005 and replacing it with the current Law on Tobacco Control. The law has been amended several times since (2012, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2023) and has introduced measures such as bans on smoking and advertising in public places, limits on sales within 500 metres of schools, and prominent public health warnings.
The new amendment would phase in higher excise rates through 2030 and extend regulation to new product types, including electronic and heated tobacco products and other nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems, bringing those products under the law’s scope.
Claims that higher excise taxes will boost counterfeit cigarette sales are unfounded, officials said: when customs duties were raised in 2017, the share of counterfeit purchases fell from 13% to 6.3%, the Ministry of Finance noted. The ministry’s projections estimate average retail prices will rise as follows:
2026: MNT 4,366
2027: MNT 7,082
2028: MNT 9,815
2029: MNT 12,560
2030: MNT 15,339
Law-enforcement agencies report they detect roughly 300–550 tobacco-law violations each year; penalties can include fines of MNT 15–40 million and revocation of special licences. About half of recorded violations related to the ban on sales within 500 metres of educational institutions.
Tobacco use remains high: as of 2024, 28.4% of Mongolia’s population smoked, ranking the country 7th in the WHO Western Pacific Region. Approximately 4,300 tobacco-related deaths are recorded in Mongolia each year. Therefore, e-cigarette use among teenagers has outpaced traditional cigarette smoking. About one in four students aged 13–17 now use e-cigarettes, according to recent statistics.

Published Date:2025-11-30