Health & Population
Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births)
Sex ratio at birth refers to male births per female births.
World Bank code: SP.POP.BRTH.MF • Data available for 217 countries • Latest year: 2024
In , Liechtenstein led Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) at 1.16.
The world median across 217 reporting countries was 1.05.
How "Health & Population" indicators are measured
Health and population indicators come from national vital-registration systems, demographic and health surveys, and modeling by the UN Population Division and WHO. Mortality and morbidity estimates are often modeled rather than directly observed in lower-capacity statistical systems, which means some figures are interpolations between survey years. Life expectancy is a "period" measure based on current age-specific mortality, not a forecast of how long someone born today will actually live.
Distribution — 2024
- Reporting
- 217 countries
- Median
- 1.05
- Mean
- 1.05
- 25th percentile
- 1.04
- 75th percentile
- 1.06
- Range
- 1.01 – 1.16
World at a Glance — 2024
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liechtenstein Europe & Central Asia | 1.16 |
| 2 | Northern Mariana Islands East Asia & Pacific | 1.15 |
| 3 | Azerbaijan Europe & Central Asia | 1.11 |
| 4 | Viet Nam East Asia & Pacific | 1.11 |
| 5 | China East Asia & Pacific | 1.10 |
| 6 | Armenia Europe & Central Asia | 1.08 |
| 7 | Tonga East Asia & Pacific | 1.08 |
| 8 | Macao SAR, China East Asia & Pacific | 1.08 |
| 9 | Uzbekistan Europe & Central Asia | 1.08 |
| 10 | Philippines East Asia & Pacific | 1.08 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
Largest decreases
- China -0.5%
- Azerbaijan -0.4%
- Armenia -0.4%
- Philippines -0.3%
- Viet Nam -0.3%
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 86 | 1.06 |
| Upper middle income | 54 | 1.06 |
| Lower middle income | 50 | 1.05 |
| Low income | 25 | 1.04 |
| Not classified | 2 | 1.05 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 37 | 1.07 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 58 | 1.06 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 42 | 1.04 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 23 | 1.05 |
| North America | 3 | 1.05 |
| South Asia | 6 | 1.05 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 48 | 1.03 |
Lowest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 1.01 |
| 2 | Zambia | 1.01 |
| 3 | Malawi | 1.01 |
| 4 | Mozambique | 1.02 |
| 5 | Gabon | 1.02 |
| 6 | Kenya | 1.02 |
| 7 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1.02 |
| 8 | Zimbabwe | 1.03 |
| 9 | Burundi | 1.03 |
| 10 | Congo, Rep. | 1.03 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (SP.POP.BRTH.MF), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2024.