Gender Ratio Imbalances Worldwide: Causes, Consequences and Country Rankings
Gender Ratio Imbalances: Causes and Consequences Worldwide
This ranking compares the female share of total population across countries and economies using World Bank 2024 estimates. The metric is Population, female (% of total population). Lower values rank higher because they indicate a more male-skewed population.
The ranking contains the 20 lowest female-population shares in the World Bank 2024 table. All 20 values are directly published World Bank estimates. No calculated country values or forecasts are included. ILO and UNFPA evidence is used separately to explain demographic causes and consequences.
In demographic statistics, this article measures population sex composition rather than gender identity. Total population composition is also different from the sex ratio at birth.
Women account for 28.7% of Qatar's total population in the World Bank 2024 estimate.
Hong Kong SAR, China is at the opposite end of the same World Bank 2024 table.
The ranking focuses on the most male-skewed end of the 2024 global distribution.
All 20 ranking values are directly published World Bank estimates. No calculated values or forecasts are included.
What causes population sex ratios to become imbalanced?
Population sex composition is shaped by births, deaths and migration. The importance of each factor differs by country, so a male- or female-skewed population cannot be explained from the headline percentage alone.
Labour migration
Migration can change the ratio quickly when migrant flows are strongly concentrated among men or women. This is especially important when interpreting several Gulf economies. ILO data show that close to 83% of migrant workers in the Arab States were men in 2019.
Mortality and aging
Differences in survival accumulate across age groups. In older populations, longer female survival can increase the female share, while other mortality patterns can shift the balance in the opposite direction.
Sex ratio at birth
Persistent birth imbalances can affect population structure over time. UNFPA links gender-biased sex selection in affected populations to son preference and discrimination, but birth ratios must be examined separately from total population ratios.
Age structure
Two countries with similar overall female shares can have very different demographic profiles. A working-age migration imbalance is not equivalent to an imbalance concentrated among children or older adults.
How to read this ranking: it identifies population composition, not the cause of that composition. Country-specific explanations require additional evidence on migration, births, deaths and age structure.
Top 10 most male-skewed populations
Qatar has the lowest female share in the World Bank 2024 table at 28.7%, followed by the United Arab Emirates at 36.1% and Oman at 37.8%. Six of the first ten entries are Gulf states.
Lowest female share of total population, 2024
| Rank | Entity | Female share | Region / source note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 28.7% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 36.1% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 3 | Oman | 37.8% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 4 | Bahrain | 38.0% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 5 | Maldives | 38.1% | South Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 6 | Kuwait | 38.9% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | 39.5% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 8 | Seychelles | 44.8% | Sub-Saharan Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 9 | Palau | 46.1% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 10 | Bhutan | 46.6% | South Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
Ranking is based directly on the published female-population percentage, ascending. Lower female share means a stronger male skew.
Female share in the 20 most male-skewed populations
The bars use the same 2024 percentages as the ranking table. The grey marker shows 50% as a visual reference rather than a demographic target.
Methodology
Metric and unit
World Bank indicator SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS: Population, female (% of total population). The unit is percent of the de facto population.
Ranking direction
Ascending. Economies with a lower female share rank higher because the ranking examines the male-skewed end of the population distribution.
Year and coverage
All 20 ranked rows use World Bank 2024 estimates. The article is a 2026 snapshot of a uniform 2024 comparison rather than a projection of 2026 population composition.
Source treatment
Every ranked percentage is directly published by the World Bank Gender Data Portal. No country value is derived from another indicator or forecast by this article.
World Bank metadata defines the population on a de facto basis, counting residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The estimates use total population data and age-sex distributions drawn from international demographic estimation systems.
Equal source values retain the same rank at the displayed precision. Faroe Islands and Singapore are both 48.3%, while India and Jordan are both 48.4%. No alphabetical tie-breaker is used to imply a demographic difference that is absent from the published percentage.
ILO and UNFPA sources provide context for migration-driven and birth-related mechanisms. They do not change any row value or rank. This metric does not measure gender identity, gender equality, women's legal rights, labour-force participation or sex ratio at birth.
Main ranking: 20 lowest female population shares
The table ranks the 20 lowest female shares in the World Bank 2024 data. Use the controls to search, filter by region, change the sort order or switch between the Top 10 and all 20 entries.
Female share of total population, 2024 — lower values rank higher
| Rank | Entity | Female share | Region / source note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 28.7% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 36.1% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 3 | Oman | 37.8% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 4 | Bahrain | 38.0% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 5 | Maldives | 38.1% | South Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 6 | Kuwait | 38.9% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | 39.5% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 8 | Seychelles | 44.8% | Sub-Saharan Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 9 | Palau | 46.1% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 10 | Bhutan | 46.6% | South Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 11 | Brunei Darussalam | 46.9% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 12 | Northern Mariana Islands | 47.2% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 13 | Equatorial Guinea | 47.3% | Sub-Saharan Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 14 | Greenland | 47.4% | Europe & Central Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 15 | Malaysia | 47.6% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 16 | Malta | 48.1% | Europe & Central Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 17 | Faroe Islands | 48.3% | Europe & Central Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 17 | Singapore | 48.3% | East Asia & Pacific · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 19 | India | 48.4% | South Asia · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
| 19 | Jordan | 48.4% | Middle East & North Africa · World Bank 2024 estimate · directly published, not calculated. |
All ranking values come from the World Bank Gender Data Portal for 2024. Context sources are used only in the explanatory sections and do not affect the ranking.
What stands out in the ranking
Key Insight
Qatar is a clear numerical outlier at 28.7%. The United Arab Emirates, the second-lowest entry, is 7.4 percentage points higher at 36.1%.
Notable Pattern
Six Gulf states appear in the Top 10: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Regional Concentration
The Top 20 contains seven entries from the Middle East and North Africa, five from East Asia and the Pacific, three from South Asia, three from Europe and Central Asia, and two from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Distribution Break
The first seven entries are below 40% female. The next entry, Seychelles, is 44.8%, creating a visible break between the most extreme group and the rest of the ranking.
Causes and consequences of gender ratio imbalances
Similar headline ratios can emerge from very different demographic processes. Their consequences also depend on whether an imbalance is concentrated among migrant workers, begins at birth, or develops through differences in mortality and aging.
Migration-driven male imbalances
Strongly sex-selective labour migration can produce a large surplus of working-age men without implying an abnormal sex ratio at birth. This distinction is particularly important in Gulf economies, where migrant labour is heavily male.
Birth-driven imbalances
Where a persistent imbalance begins at birth, UNFPA associates gender-biased sex selection with son preference and discrimination against girls. Such patterns require sex-ratio-at-birth data rather than total-population percentages alone.
Marriage-market effects
Large birth imbalances that persist into adulthood can leave unusually large cohorts of men without similarly sized cohorts of women. UNFPA research identifies marriage-market pressure and risks to women and girls among the possible long-term consequences.
Aging and female-majority populations
At the opposite end of the distribution, longer female survival can raise the female share in older populations. In that setting, the demographic issue is aging and survival rather than a shortage of female births.
The ranking is therefore a starting point for demographic analysis. Migration statistics, age-specific population data, mortality rates and sex ratios at birth are needed to determine which mechanism matters most in a particular country or economy.
FAQ
Which country or economy has the most male-skewed population?
Qatar has the lowest female share in the World Bank 2024 table at 28.7%, followed by the United Arab Emirates at 36.1% and Oman at 37.8%.
Why do several Gulf states have unusually high male shares?
Labour migration is an important part of the demographic context. The ILO reports that close to 83% of migrant workers in the Arab States were men in 2019. The population percentage alone, however, does not quantify how much of each country's imbalance is caused by migration.
Is population sex composition the same as sex ratio at birth?
No. Population sex composition covers residents of all ages. Sex ratio at birth compares male and female live births and is a separate demographic indicator.
Does a low female population share prove gender-biased sex selection?
No. Migration, mortality and age structure can all change the total population ratio. Evidence about births is required before drawing conclusions about prenatal sex selection.
Are these 2026 population figures?
No. This is a 2026 publication snapshot using a uniform set of World Bank 2024 estimates. The article does not create projected 2026 values.
Are the ranking values published directly by the World Bank?
Yes. The percentages shown are directly published World Bank estimates for indicator SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS. They are not reconstructed ratios calculated by this article.
Why use female share instead of males per 100 females?
Female share is the value directly published in the selected World Bank indicator. Using it avoids introducing an additional calculated metric and keeps every ranking row directly traceable to the source.
Sources
World Bank Gender Data Portal
Primary numeric source for the ranking. Indicator: Population, female (% of total population), SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS.
https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-pop-totl-fe-zs
World Bank DataBank Metadata
Indicator definition, de facto population concept, annual frequency and methodological background for population estimates by sex.
International Labour Organization
Context for labour migration in the Arab States and the strongly male composition of the region's migrant-worker population.
https://www.ilo.org/regions-and-countries/ilo-arab-states/areas-work/labour-migration
UNFPA — Son Preference
Context for son preference, gender-biased sex selection and the potential consequences of persistent birth imbalances.
