Overall, there are slightly more men than women in the world. The ratio was skewed in favor of men for the first time around 1960. There are now 101.7 men for every 100 women, according to 2019 estimates by the United Nations. While the difference on a global scale seems small, it varies significantly from country to country.
Men and women are distributed unevenly around the world. Of the 201 nations for which the UN has population data, 125 have more women, but the percentages vary from 50.1% to 54.2%. Former Soviet countries and several island nations are among the countries where women outnumber men.
In many Middle Eastern nations and parts of Northern Africa, by contrast, there are more men than women, with the sex ratio far more more striking in some cases. Female residents make up just 24.6%, 30.9% and 34.0% of the population in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Oman, for example.
While the special administrative region of Hong Kong is second-place on this list, China — famous for its now abandoned one-child policy — is at the other end of the scale. In 2014 the country had a ratio of 121.2 boys for every 100 girls, compared to a natural sex ratio at birth of 105 boys for every 100 girls. (Men die earlier — and this is perhaps why — so you need a few more for balance.)
Many of the countries where men out number women are also among the worst countries for gender equality.
In time for World Population Day, marked every year on July 11 to raise awareness about urgent population issues, 24/7 Tempo identified the top 25 countries with more women than men, using data from the United Nations Population Division.Â
Click here for 25 countries where women outnumber men
Source: akras / Flickr
25. Croatia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 51.79%
> Number of women: 2,126,000
> Number of men: 1,979,000
> Total population: 4,105,000
[in-text-ad]
Source: 137294100@N08 / Flickr
24. Myanmar
> Pct. of total population that are women: 51.81%
> Number of women: 28,190,000
> Number of men: 26,220,000
> Total population: 54,410,000
24/7 Wall St.
Source: VII-photo / Getty Images
23. Macao SAR, China
> Pct. of total population that are women: 51.94%
> Number of women: 337,000
> Number of men: 312,000
> Total population: 649,000
Source: 11264282@N02 / Flickr
22. Sri Lanka
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.05%
> Number of women: 11,146,000
> Number of men: 10,267,000
> Total population: 21,413,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Ion Chibzii / Wikimedia Commons
21. Republic of Moldova
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.11%
> Number of women: 2,102,000
> Number of men: 1,932,000
> Total population: 4,034,000
Source: swathi-icrisat-esa / Flickr
20. Zimbabwe
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.28%
> Number of women: 7,771,000
> Number of men: 7,092,000
> Total population: 14,863,000
[in-text-ad]
Source: helovi / Getty Images
19. Georgia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.34%
> Number of women: 2,088,000
> Number of men: 1,901,000
> Total population: 3,989,000
Source: Eva-Katalin / Getty Images
18. Hungary
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.40%
> Number of women: 5,062,000
> Number of men: 4,598,000
> Total population: 9,660,000
Source: cdwheatley / Getty Images
17. United States Virgin Islands
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.50%
> Number of women: 55,000
> Number of men: 50,000
> Total population: 104,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: andresr / Getty Images
16. Aruba
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.57%
> Number of women: 56,000
> Number of men: 51,000
> Total population: 107,000
Source: dennisvdw / Getty Images
15. Puerto Rico
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.62%
> Number of women: 1,505,000
> Number of men: 1,356,000
> Total population: 2,861,000
[in-text-ad]
Source: LordRunar / Getty Images
14. Estonia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.62%
> Number of women: 698,000
> Number of men: 628,000
> Total population: 1,327,000
Source: anyaberkut / Getty Images
13. Portugal
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.69%
> Number of women: 5,373,000
> Number of men: 4,824,000
> Total population: 10,197,000
Source: Joel Carillet / Getty Images
12. Armenia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 52.97%
> Number of women: 1,569,000
> Number of men: 1,394,000
> Total population: 2,963,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: bilgehan yilmaz / Getty Images
11. El Salvador
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.19%
> Number of women: 3,450,000
> Number of men: 3,036,000
> Total population: 6,486,000
Source: bruev / Getty Images
10. Belarus
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.44%
> Number of women: 5,050,000
> Number of men: 4,399,000
> Total population: 9,449,000
[in-text-ad]
Source: zsv3207 / Getty Images
9. Russia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.65%
> Number of women: 78,294,000
> Number of men: 67,640,000
> Total population: 145,934,000
Source: spoilt_exile / Flickr
8. Ukraine
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.67%
> Number of women: 23,471,000
> Number of men: 20,263,000
> Total population: 43,734,000
Source: Olga355 / Getty Images
7. Lithuania
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.72%
> Number of women: 1,462,000
> Number of men: 1,260,000
> Total population: 2,722,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Meinzahn / Getty Images
6. Guadeloupe
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.88%
> Number of women: 216,000
> Number of men: 185,000
> Total population: 400,000
Source: RossHelen / Getty Images
5. Latvia
> Pct. of total population that are women: 53.91%
> Number of women: 1,017,000
> Number of men: 869,000
> Total population: 1,886,000
[in-text-ad]
Source: valentinrussanov / Getty Images
4. Martinique
> Pct. of total population that are women: 54.00%
> Number of women: 203,000
> Number of men: 173,000
> Total population: 375,000
Source: lucop / Getty Images
3. Curaçao
> Pct. of total population that are women: 54.01%
> Number of women: 89,000
> Number of men: 75,000
> Total population: 164,000
Source: olaser / Getty Images
2. Hong Kong SAR, China
> Pct. of total population that are women: 54.12%
> Number of women: 4,057,000
> Number of men: 3,440,000
> Total population: 7,497,000
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: hadynyah / Getty Images
1. Nepal
> Pct. of total population that are women: 54.19%
> Number of women: 15,788,000
> Number of men: 13,348,000
> Total population: 29,137,000
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
