The molybdenum intake by German and Mexican adults (21 test populations) aged 20 to 69 years with mixed and ovolactovegetarian diets were determined. Each test group consisted of at least 7 women and 7 men, which collected all consumed foodstuffs and beverages as visually estimated duplicates on 7 successive days. The balance studies were carried out with 8 test populations (women and men) with mixed and ovolactovegetarian diets. People with mixed diet in Germany consumed, on average, 89 (women) and 100 μg Mo/day (men), whereas in Mexico they took in 160 and 210 μg Mo/day, respectively. German ovolactovegetarians consumed ∼175 μg Mo/day. Male adults of Germany consumed 21% more molybdenum than women. This difference is the result of a 24% higher dry matter intake by males. The residence place, its geological origin and time of examination influenced the molybdenum intake significantly (60–115 μg Mo/day). The normative molybdenum requirement of adults amounts to 25 μg/day, with women needing 20 and men 25 μg/day. As a rule approximately only one-third of the absorbed molybdenum is excreted renally, the rest faecally. Breast feeding mothers excreted 11% via milk, 56% faecally and 33% renally. The apparent absorption rate of molybdenum amounted to 37% in humans with mixed and vegetarian diets, whereas it reached 44% in breast-feeding mothers. The calculation of molybdenum consumption (basket method) overestimated the molybdenum intake by 50% in comparison to chemical determination by the duplicate portion method.