Countries by Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births)

Ranking 2023

Analysis

Sex ratio at birth measures male births per female births. According to the source definition, 'sex ratio at birth refers to male births per female births.' The unit is an absolute value, where a reading of 1.050 means 105 male births occur for every 100 female births. Data come from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SP.POP.BRTH.MF, for the reference year 2023. Coverage is high: 216 countries hold data, all from within the last seven years, and 100 percent of datapoints are classified as official quality. The ranking exhibits low volatility, with an average year-over-year change of just 0.1 percent. The viability check identified 38 extreme outliers at the 3-sigma threshold, and the full value range runs from 1.011 to 1.163, a spread of 15.0 percent.

The top of the ranking is dominated by countries in the South Caucasus, East Asia, and parts of the Pacific. Azerbaijan ranks third at 1.118, Viet Nam fourth at 1.109, and China fifth at 1.108. Armenia follows at rank 6 with 1.087. In the Pacific, Tonga ranks seventh at 1.081, Samoa fifteenth at 1.076, and Nauru eighteenth at 1.072. In Southeast Europe, North Macedonia and Kosovo both appear near the top, ranked 11th at 1.077 and 19th at 1.071 respectively. The Balkans and former Soviet states account for a notable cluster in the upper quarter, with Montenegro (rank 31, 1.069), Serbia (rank 31, 1.069), Bosnia and Herzegovina (rank 33, 1.067), and Georgia (rank 33, 1.067) all ranking above the global midpoint.

The middle of the ranking, roughly ranks 74 through 135, contains most Western European countries, large economies, and parts of the Middle East. Germany sits at rank 74 with 1.056, the United States at rank 119 with 1.049, and Brazil at rank 135 with 1.045. Sub-Saharan African countries cluster at the lower end of the ranking. Nigeria ranks 167th at 1.038, Kenya 211th at 1.022, and Malawi 214th at 1.014. A notable placement is India at rank 17 with 1.073, which is higher than most Western European nations and higher than Japan, which ranks 106th at 1.051. The 38 extreme outliers flagged by the viability check are concentrated at both tails, including Liechtenstein (rank 1, 1.163) and Northern Mariana Islands (rank 2, 1.151).

Several limitations apply to this metric. Small territories with low birth counts, such as Liechtenstein (rank 1, 1.163) and Northern Mariana Islands (rank 2, 1.151), may show extreme values due to small sample sizes rather than structural patterns, which explains in part why they were flagged among the 38 extreme outliers. The ratio captures registered births only, so countries with incomplete civil registration systems may undercount births of either sex differently, distorting the reported ratio. The metric does not account for multiple births, prenatal practices, or differences in registration timing. Comparisons between small territories and large countries should be made cautiously given differences in statistical reliability at low birth volumes.

Methodology

This ranking uses World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SP.POP.BRTH.MF, for the reference year 2023. The source definition states: 'sex ratio at birth refers to male births per female births.' Values are expressed as absolute ratios. The dataset covers 216 countries, all with data from within the last seven years, and 100 percent of datapoints meet the official data quality classification. The average year-over-year change is 0.1 percent, indicating very low volatility. The viability check identified 38 extreme outliers using a 3-sigma threshold. The full value range is 1.011 to 1.163, a spread of 15.0 percent. Rankings reflect the single most recent data point per country, and ties are assigned equal ranks. Small-population territories may exhibit higher variance due to low annual birth counts.

Sources

• World Bank