Men and women

In nature slightly more boys than girls are born: 103 to 107 for every 100 girls. Where sons are preferred and the sex of the baby can be known in advance, the number rises and girls go missing. Women, then, live longer than men on average, almost everywhere.

Boys born per 100 girls

    After 2023 projections, dashed: the UN expects values to slowly return to normal. In very small countries few children are born and the value can be far from the natural one by chance. Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024.

    Life expectancy of men and women

      Life expectancy at birth: how many years someone born in that year would live on average, at that year’s mortality. After 2023 projections, dashed. Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024.

      Why these differences

      Since the 1980s, with ultrasound, some countries in Asia and the Caucasus began to choose the sex of their children: in China, India, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Vietnam far more boys than normal were born for years. Today in several countries (South Korea first) the number is back to normal, but those children have grown up, and among them men outnumber women.

      Women live longer for biological reasons and because of different habits: men smoke and drink more, do more dangerous jobs and have more accidents. The gap is large in the countries of the former Soviet Union, where men live 9–12 years less than women, and small in some African and Gulf countries.

      Countries: births and life expectancy

      Country Boys at birth 2026 Highest since 1950 Men Women Difference
      Liechtenstein 116.3 128.2 (2015) 82.4 85.6 +3.2
      China 109.3 117.8 (2004) 76.4 81.8 +5.4
      Armenia 107.5 117.3 (2000) 72.0 79.9 +7.9
      Azerbaijan 110.5 116.8 (2004) 72.0 77.6 +5.6
      South Korea 106.0 115.7 (1990) 81.6 87.5 +5.9
      Vietnam 110.1 114.8 (2018) 70.4 79.6 +9.2
      Albania 106.5 112.9 (2005) 78.3 81.9 +3.6
      Cuba 107.0 111.1 (1996) 76.3 81.0 +4.7
      Georgia 106.6 110.8 (1999) 70.1 79.5 +9.4
      Montenegro 106.5 109.9 (2006) 74.3 80.7 +6.4
      India 106.7 109.6 (2010) 71.2 74.4 +3.2
      Spain 106.6 108.7 (1981) 81.4 86.7 +5.3
      Tonga 108.1 108.7 (1998) 69.8 76.8 +7.0
      Uzbekistan 107.7 108.6 (2018) 69.8 75.8 +6.0
      Brunei 107.4 108.5 (2017) 73.8 78.1 +4.3
      North Macedonia 107.5 108.5 (1989) 75.6 80.0 +4.4
      Tunisia 104.9 108.5 (2000) 74.6 79.7 +5.1
      Cyprus 106.5 108.3 (1967) 80.2 84.1 +3.9
      Greece 106.4 108.2 (1953) 79.9 84.7 +4.8
      Pakistan 105.5 108.1 (1994) 65.7 70.6 +4.9
      Palau 107.7 108.1 (2013) 67.4 72.2 +4.8
      Philippines 107.7 108.0 (1950) 67.2 73.2 +6.0
      Samoa 107.6 107.9 70.2 74.1 +3.9
      Singapore 106.0 107.9 81.7 86.6 +4.9
      Papua New Guinea 107.6 107.8 64.0 69.5 +5.5
      Poland 106.1 107.8 75.5 82.7 +7.2
      Bosnia and Herzegovina 106.7 107.7 75.1 81.4 +6.3
      Serbia 106.9 107.7 74.1 80.5 +6.4
      El Salvador 104.8 107.6 68.2 76.9 +8.7
      Libya 105.7 107.6 72.7 77.8 +5.1
      Malta 106.8 107.6 81.9 85.6 +3.7
      Portugal 105.9 107.6 80.1 85.5 +5.4
      Uruguay 105.4 107.6 74.8 82.3 +7.5
      East Timor 107.1 107.5 66.7 70.1 +3.4
      Hungary 106.0 107.5 74.3 80.6 +6.3
      Lebanon 105.3 107.5 76.2 80.1 +3.9
      Fiji 107.1 107.4 65.7 69.9 +4.2
      Iran 105.1 107.4 76.4 80.2 +3.8
      Jordan 104.9 107.4 76.2 80.6 +4.4
      Germany 105.7 107.3 79.6 84.1 +4.5
      Nauru 107.2 107.3 60.7 64.6 +3.9
      Japan 105.0 107.2 82.1 88.2 +6.1
      Kiribati 107.1 107.2 64.9 68.6 +3.7
      Latvia 106.1 107.2 72.1 80.9 +8.8
      Malaysia 106.4 107.2 74.8 79.8 +5.0
      Egypt 105.6 107.1 70.0 74.4 +4.4
      Estonia 106.1 107.1 75.6 83.4 +7.8
      Solomon Islands 107.0 107.1 69.6 72.5 +2.9
      Croatia 106.0 107.0 76.0 82.1 +6.1
      Federated States of Micronesia 107.0 107.0 63.9 71.6 +7.7
      Indonesia 106.1 107.0 69.4 73.8 +4.4
      Marshall Islands 107.0 107.0 65.2 69.8 +4.6
      Slovakia 105.5 107.0 75.6 82.0 +6.4
      Slovenia 106.2 107.0 79.5 84.7 +5.2
      Tuvalu 107.0 107.0 64.2 71.2 +7.0
      Ukraine 106.2 107.0 70.2 79.7 +9.5
      Vanuatu 107.0 107.0 69.9 74.5 +4.6
      Czech Republic 105.5 106.9 77.5 83.0 +5.5
      Israel 105.5 106.9 80.8 84.9 +4.1
      Austria 105.6 106.8 80.2 84.7 +4.5
      Bulgaria 106.0 106.8 72.7 79.7 +7.0
      Luxembourg 105.4 106.8 81.1 84.2 +3.1
      Norway 106.1 106.8 82.3 85.2 +2.9
      San Marino 106.5 106.8 84.5 87.4 +2.9
      Turkmenistan 106.6 106.8 67.2 73.3 +6.1
      Belarus 105.9 106.7 70.1 79.5 +9.4
      Iceland 105.8 106.7 82.0 84.7 +2.7
      Kazakhstan 106.3 106.7 70.6 78.8 +8.2
      Myanmar 106.6 106.7 64.4 70.8 +6.4
      Romania 105.6 106.7 72.9 79.9 +7.0
      Sweden 105.5 106.7 82.0 85.5 +3.5
      Yemen 105.9 106.7 67.6 71.9 +4.3
      Ireland 105.6 106.6 81.0 84.9 +3.9
      Italy 105.9 106.6 82.1 86.1 +4.0
      Lithuania 105.3 106.6 71.8 81.1 +9.3
      Afghanistan 105.1 106.5 65.2 68.3 +3.1
      Denmark 105.5 106.5 80.6 84.2 +3.6
      Netherlands 105.3 106.5 81.1 84.1 +3.0
      Tajikistan 106.4 106.5 69.9 74.5 +4.6
      Thailand 106.4 106.5 72.9 81.4 +8.5
      United Kingdom 105.5 106.5 79.9 83.6 +3.7
      Venezuela 105.1 106.5 69.2 77.0 +7.8
      Andorra 106.3 106.4 82.6 86.5 +3.9
      Ethiopia 105.5 106.4 64.9 71.6 +6.7
      Moldova 106.2 106.4 67.0 75.9 +8.9
      Russia 105.6 106.4 67.9 79.5 +11.6
      Switzerland 105.1 106.4 82.5 86.2 +3.7
      Argentina 105.0 106.3 75.3 80.3 +5.0
      Belgium 105.0 106.3 80.5 84.7 +4.2
      New Zealand 105.4 106.3 80.9 84.1 +3.2
      Turkey 104.9 106.3 75.5 81.3 +5.8
      Canada 105.5 106.2 80.9 85.2 +4.3
      Panama 105.2 106.2 77.3 83.0 +5.7
      Kyrgyzstan 105.6 106.1 68.6 75.7 +7.1
      Australia 105.5 106.0 82.6 86.1 +3.5
      Iraq 105.6 106.0 70.7 74.4 +3.7
      Maldives 105.2 106.0 80.4 83.3 +2.9
      North Korea 106.0 106.0 71.8 76.2 +4.4
      Costa Rica 104.6 105.6 78.8 83.9 +5.1
      Honduras 105.0 105.6 70.8 76.0 +5.2
      Syria 105.3 105.6 71.0 75.9 +4.9
      Belize 105.1 105.5 71.4 77.0 +5.6
      Cambodia 105.3 105.5 68.4 73.7 +5.3
      Finland 105.2 105.5 79.8 85.0 +5.2
      France 105.0 105.5 80.9 86.4 +5.5
      Nepal 104.9 105.5 69.6 72.7 +3.1
      Paraguay 105.0 105.5 71.3 77.4 +6.1
      United States of America 105.0 105.5 77.4 82.2 +4.8
      Laos 105.3 105.4 67.5 72.0 +4.5
      United Arab Emirates 104.5 105.4 82.6 84.6 +2.0
      Algeria 104.6 105.3 75.5 78.3 +2.8
      Bangladesh 104.9 105.3 73.8 77.2 +3.4
      Mongolia 104.2 105.3 68.0 77.1 +9.1
      Chile 104.4 105.2 79.9 83.5 +3.6
      Nigeria 103.8 105.2 54.6 55.3 +0.7
      Palestine 105.1 105.2 75.0 79.8 +4.8
      Saudi Arabia 105.1 105.2 77.8 81.7 +3.9
      Kuwait 104.6 105.1 79.8 82.3 +2.5
      Benin 104.2 105.0 59.8 62.8 +3.0
      Dominican Republic 104.4 105.0 70.9 77.4 +6.5
      Ecuador 104.7 105.0 75.3 80.6 +5.3
      Guatemala 104.0 105.0 70.7 75.4 +4.7
      Guinea 104.5 105.0 59.9 62.4 +2.5
      Monaco 104.9 105.0 84.8 88.8 +4.0
      Bhutan 104.8 104.9 72.1 75.8 +3.7
      Chad 104.1 104.9 53.7 57.6 +3.9
      Colombia 104.5 104.9 75.6 80.9 +5.3
      Morocco 104.7 104.9 73.7 78.1 +4.4
      Qatar 104.1 104.9 82.1 83.7 +1.6
      Somalia 104.4 104.9 56.8 61.9 +5.1
      Brazil 104.5 104.7 73.3 79.5 +6.2
      Sri Lanka 104.4 104.7 74.9 81.0 +6.1
      Bolivia 104.2 104.6 66.6 71.7 +5.1
      Ghana 103.8 104.6 63.7 68.6 +4.9
      Oman 104.4 104.6 79.2 82.4 +3.2
      Sudan 104.1 104.6 63.8 70.2 +6.4
      Burkina Faso 104.1 104.5 59.4 63.8 +4.4
      Jamaica 103.9 104.5 69.3 74.4 +5.1
      Peru 104.1 104.5 76.0 80.6 +4.6
      Grenada 103.9 104.4 72.8 78.8 +6.0
      Madagascar 103.8 104.4 62.5 66.1 +3.6
      South Africa 104.0 104.4 63.1 70.2 +7.1
      Trinidad and Tobago 104.1 104.4 70.8 77.1 +6.3
      Guinea-Bissau 104.0 104.3 62.1 66.9 +4.8
      Mali 103.2 104.3 59.7 62.6 +2.9
      Niger 104.0 104.3 60.9 62.9 +2.0
      Suriname 104.0 104.3 70.9 77.3 +6.4
      Bahrain 103.8 104.2 81.2 82.4 +1.2
      Guyana 103.7 104.2 66.8 74.4 +7.6
      Liberia 103.8 104.1 61.3 64.0 +2.7
      Mauritania 103.3 104.0 67.1 71.2 +4.1
      Mexico 103.8 104.0 72.8 78.4 +5.6
      Barbados 103.5 103.9 74.1 79.0 +4.9
      Djibouti 103.7 103.9 64.1 69.2 +5.1
      Mauritius 103.5 103.9 72.5 78.6 +6.1
      Saint Kitts and Nevis 103.7 103.9 69.0 76.4 +7.4
      Dominica 103.5 103.8 68.6 75.1 +6.5
      Seychelles 103.6 103.8 70.4 77.0 +6.6
      Nicaragua 103.5 103.7 72.8 77.9 +5.1
      Senegal 103.1 103.7 67.4 71.5 +4.1
      South Sudan 103.5 103.7 55.0 61.0 +6.0
      Cape Verde 103.3 103.6 73.4 79.7 +6.3
      Comoros 103.2 103.6 65.4 69.7 +4.3
      Sierra Leone 103.4 103.6 60.6 64.1 +3.5
      Central African Republic 103.2 103.5 56.0 60.1 +4.1
      Ivory Coast 103.0 103.4 60.5 64.7 +4.2
      Saint Lucia 103.1 103.4 69.7 76.7 +7.0
      Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 103.3 103.4 69.0 74.8 +5.8
      Botswana 103.2 103.3 67.0 72.2 +5.2
      Haiti 103.1 103.3 62.2 68.8 +6.6
      The Bahamas 102.7 103.3 71.4 78.6 +7.2
      The Gambia 103.2 103.3 64.7 68.2 +3.5
      Antigua and Barbuda 103.2 103.2 75.1 80.7 +5.6
      Equatorial Guinea 103.2 103.2 62.6 66.3 +3.7
      Eritrea 103.2 103.2 67.2 71.5 +4.3
      Eswatini 103.0 103.2 61.6 67.4 +5.8
      Tanzania 103.1 103.2 64.8 70.4 +5.6
      Angola 102.8 103.1 62.6 67.7 +5.1
      Cameroon 102.9 103.1 62.3 66.8 +4.5
      Zimbabwe 102.5 103.1 61.0 65.9 +4.9
      Lesotho 102.8 103.0 55.8 61.3 +5.5
      Togo 102.8 103.0 63.0 63.6 +0.6
      Uganda 103.0 103.0 65.9 71.8 +5.9
      Rwanda 102.6 102.9 66.1 70.6 +4.5
      Democratic Republic of the Congo 102.3 102.8 60.2 64.6 +4.4
      São Tomé and Príncipe 102.7 102.8 66.7 74.3 +7.6
      Republic of the Congo 102.6 102.6 64.7 68.2 +3.5
      Burundi 102.4 102.5 62.0 66.2 +4.2
      Gabon 102.1 102.3 66.4 71.6 +5.2
      Kenya 102.1 102.2 62.0 66.5 +4.5
      Mozambique 102.0 102.2 60.8 67.1 +6.3
      Malawi 101.4 102.0 64.6 71.1 +6.5
      Zambia 101.1 101.2 64.4 69.3 +4.9
      Namibia 101.1 101.1 63.7 71.8 +8.1

      Boys born per 100 girls this year and the highest value since 1950 (with the year, if it was {alta} or more); in nature 103–107. Life expectancy at birth, in years; difference: women minus men. Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024. Countries are the 195 UN states.