The problem of alcohol abuse in Mongolia

A report by the U.N.’s World Health Organization notes that alcohol abuse could be Mongolia’s biggest stumbling block to economic and social progress. A 2006 survey carried out by Mongolia’s Ministry of Health and WHO found that 22 percent of Mongolian men and 5 percent of women are dependent on alcohol, rates three times higher than in Europe.

The level of alcohol abuse has worsened drastically since Mongolia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1990. This is blamed on the social upheaval that came with post-Soviet economic liberalization.