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European Union -

Regionally, the numbers are quite interesting. In 2021, the European Union registered 5% more women than men across Member States.

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Sub-Saharan Africa -

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the sex ratio is about 105-107 males born for every 100 females. There are actually only five countries in the region with slightly higher female populations.

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Exceptions -

Do you know which African countries have more women than men? It’s Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini. But the difference is so slight that none of these countries make it onto the top 10 list.

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Asia -

In Asia, the region with the highest proportion of males across the globe, the overall sex ratio is somewhere around 109 males per 100 females.

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North America -

In North America, the ratio is quite stable and balanced, but there was a recorded increase of 0.03% in 2021, in which a slightly higher percentage of females were born.

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Latin America -

In Latin America, the total number of women across the region slightly outnumber the total amount of men, sitting at 50.47%.

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Oceania -

The Oceania population remains ever so slightly male dominated (50.1%), with countries across the region reporting slight increase of females to the newborn population.

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Middle East -

In the Middle East, there is a much higher ratio of males to females, but researchers deems this difference to be due to the high number of male laborers from other countries that work across the Gulf states.

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War and migration -

Historically, the sex ratio has been driven by a number of factors. Certainly, war and migration play a significant role.

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Selective birthing -

But a historically key factor in these rations is sex-selective birthing, referring to the choice in some cultures to abort girls due to societal preferences.

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10. Serbia -

So which nations have the highest ratio of women? The nation with the 10th-highest ratio of women to men in the world is Serbia.

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Life expectancy -

Serbia’s female population represents 52.51% of the total population. Women have a life expectancy nearly six years longer than their male counterparts.

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9. Tonga -

The nation with the ninth-highest proportion of women in their population is Tonga. Women in the Polynesian nation make up 52.59% of the population.

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Gender equality issues -

Despite the higher percentage of women, the nation struggles with grave issues around gender equality. Tonga ranks 115th on the Gender Inequality Index.

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7. Lithuania -

Women in Lithuania make up 52.85% of the country’s population, making it the country with the eighth-highest ratio of women to men. Interestingly, this is not due to higher female birthrates.

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Discrepancies -

Instead, Lithuania’s higher female population is largely due to a near decade of difference in life expectancy rates between women and men.

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Refugees in Lithuania -

Additionally, the swelling of Lithuania’s female population is due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees that the country received since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war. The majority of these refugees have been women.

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7. Belarus -

Belarusian women make up 53.4% of the nation’s population, ranking seventh on the list. Similar to Lithuania, a contributing factor to this is a decade difference of life expectancy between women and men.

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Income inequality -

Belarus, much like Tonga, has a great deal of gender inequality issues. The average working woman in the nation receives 80% of the income of her male counterpart.

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6. Georgia -

The birthplace of wine is the sixth nation on the list. Georgian women make up 53.4% of the national population. Similar to the other former Soviet nations on the list, the discrepancy of life expectancy is quite significant.

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Factors -

In Georgia, there’s a nine-year difference in life expectancy between women and men. Another factor is that most of the population that has immigrated to other nations for work has been men.

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5. Ukraine -

The nation ranking fifth joins the list of Eastern European nations in similar predicaments. Ukrainian women tend to live a staggering decade longer than Ukrainian men.

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Income inequality -

Although Ukrainian women are highly educated, like Belarusian women, they only make 80% of the income of their male counterparts.

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4. Russia -

Following World War II, Russia has consistently had more women than men since the mid-20th century. Russian women have a life expectancy of 11 years superior to that of Russian men.

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Disease prevalence -

Russian men have not only been sacrificed in wars, but also grapple with issues of addiction and disease, which contribute to the relatively low life expectancy rates, resulting in its ranking as the fourth nation with more women than men.

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3. Armenia -

Armenian women comprise 53.61% of the country’s total population, ranking third on the list. With similarly difficult economic conditions to its regional neighbor, Georgia, many Armenian men have had to immigrate to find work.

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Income inequality -

Despite their significant numbers in the country, women in Armenia suffer from gender discrepancies, particularly related to their income levels in the employment market.

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2. Latvia -

Which country ranks second in the highest proportion of women to men? If you guessed another former Soviet nation, you’re correct. It’s Latvia.

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Health choices -

Latvian women make up 53.68% of the nation’s population. The numbers are quite shocking. According to World Atlas, below 40 years of age, the population is represented by more men than women. Yet, the population over 65 years of age consists of double the amount of women than men. This is largely driven by health choices.

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1. Moldova -

The nation with the largest population of women, of course, is an Eastern European nation. Moldova ranks number one on the list.

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Workforce participation -

Moldovan woman make up 53.98% of the nation’s population. Much like other nations on the list, Moldova struggles with issues of gender equality, particularly when it comes to workforce participation and economic dynamics.

Sources: (NIH) (Visa to Travel) (United Nations Population Fund) (World Atlas) (Tonga Statistics Department) (Biroul National de Statistica al Republicii Moldova) (European Commission) (The Global Economy) (Ukrstat) (Belstat)

See also: The women who ruled ancient Egypt

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