Why do some countries have noticeably more men than women, while others have the opposite pattern?

This map, via Visual Capitalist's Jeff Desjardins, shows which countries have male- or female-majority populations using World Population Review data on the number of males per 100 females.

While sex ratios at birth differ only slightly, demographic forces can produce striking imbalances over time.

Countries Where There Are More Men

Of the 233 countries and territories in the dataset, men outnumber women in just 33%.

RankCountryRatio (Males per 100 females)--🌐 Global Average101.2

1	🇶🇦 Qatar	243.7
2	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	175.0
3	🇴🇲 Oman	166.5
4	🇧🇭 Bahrain	163.2
5	🇲🇻 Maldives	159.8
6	🇰🇼 Kuwait	156.5
7	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	152.0
8	🇪🇭 Western Sahara	122.0
9	🇸🇨 Seychelles	122.0
10	🇵🇼 Palau	116.2
11	🇧🇹 Bhutan	114.5
12	🇧🇳 Brunei	112.9
13	🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands	112.7
14	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	111.2
15	🇬🇱 Greenland	110.2
16	🇲🇾 Malaysia	109.5
17	🇲🇹 Malta	108.2
18	🇸🇬 Singapore	106.8
19	🇫🇴 Faroe Islands	106.5
20	🇮🇳 India	106.4
21	🇯🇴 Jordan	106.0
22	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	105.5
23	🇮🇸 Iceland	105.2
24	🇹🇻 Tuvalu	105.0
25	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	104.6
26	🇦🇩 Andorra	104.4
27	🇲🇭 Marshall Islands	104.4
28	🇩🇿 Algeria	104.0
29	🇨🇳 China	103.6
30	🇳🇷 Nauru	103.5
31	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	103.4
32	🇱🇾 Libya	103.3
33	🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	103.2
34	🇨🇮 Ivory Coast	103.2
35	🇮🇷 Iran	103.2
36	🇳🇪 Niger	103.1
37	🇸🇳 Senegal	103.0
38	🇬🇦 Gabon	102.8
39	🇾🇪 Yemen	102.7
40	🇵🇰 Pakistan	102.5
41	🇳🇬 Nigeria	102.5
42	🇬🇺 Guam	102.3
43	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	102.1
44	🇵🇫 French Polynesia	102.0
45	🇪🇬 Egypt	101.9
46	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	101.8
47	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	101.8
48	🇲🇱 Mali	101.8
49	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	101.7
50	🇧🇿 Belize	101.7
51	🇳🇴 Norway	101.7
52	🇸🇪 Sweden	101.6
53	🇲🇦 Morocco	101.6
54	🇼🇸 Samoa	101.6
55	🇨🇾 Cyprus	101.5
56	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	101.5
57	🇦🇸 American Samoa	101.5
58	🇹🇬 Togo	101.4
59	🇸🇮 Slovenia	101.4
60	🇭🇳 Honduras	101.3
61	🇰🇲 Comoros	101.1
62	🇺🇸 United States	101.0
63	🇮🇶 Iraq	101.0
64	🇱🇦 Laos	100.9
65	🇮🇩 Indonesia	100.9
66	🇫🇲 Micronesia	100.8
67	🇰🇾 Cayman Islands	100.7
68	🇧🇯 Benin	100.7
69	🇹🇩 Chad	100.6
70	🇲🇬 Madagascar	100.6
71	🇵🇾 Paraguay	100.5
72	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	100.4
73	🇸🇾 Syria	100.4
74	🇸🇴 Somalia	100.3
75	🇧🇴 Bolivia	100.3
76	🇬🇩 Grenada	100.3
77	🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands	100.0

Despite the smaller number of male-majority countries, there are roughly 42 million more men than women worldwide.

There are two main reasons for this.

First, the Gulf states are the clearest outliers. Countries such as Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait rely heavily on temporary migrant workers employed in construction, energy, and infrastructure, industries dominated by men. Because many of these workers arrive without their families, national gender balances become unusually skewed.

Second, three of the world’s most populous countries, China, India, and the United States, all have more men than women. Although their ratios are less extreme, their large populations magnify the difference.

In India alone, a ratio of 106.3 men per 100 women translates into a male surplus of more than 40 million.

Countries Where There Are More Women

The largest concentration of female-majority countries is found across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Former Soviet states account for seven of the 12 countries and territories with the lowest ratios of men to women.

RankCountryRatio (Males per 100 females)--🌐 Global Average101.2

1	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	81.7
2	🇬🇵 Guadeloupe	82.4
3	🇲🇶 Martinique	82.8
4	🇲🇩 Moldova	85.1
5	🇲🇴 Macau	85.2
6	🇲🇫 Saint Martin	85.5
7	🇷🇺 Russia	86.4
8	🇦🇲 Armenia	86.5
9	🇱🇻 Latvia	86.8
10	🇺🇦 Ukraine	87.1
11	🇧🇾 Belarus	87.2
12	🇬🇪 Georgia	87.4
13	🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy	88.5
14	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	88.7
15	🇹🇴 Tonga	89.5
16	🇦🇼 Aruba	89.5
17	🇱🇹 Lithuania	89.6
18	🇻🇮 United States Virgin Islands	89.7
19	🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands	89.8
20	🇷🇸 Serbia	90.0
21	🇷🇪 Reunion	90.4
22	🇸🇻 El Salvador	90.5
23	🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna	90.5
24	🇳🇵 Nepal	90.7
25	🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda	90.9
26	🇵🇹 Portugal	90.9
27	🇪🇪 Estonia	91.0
28	🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina	91.0
29	🇧🇸 Bahamas	91.1
30	🇨🇼 Curacao	91.2
31	🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis	91.4
32	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	91.4
33	🇾🇹 Mayotte	92.0
34	🇧🇧 Barbados	92.1
35	🇳🇺 Niue	92.3
36	🇭🇺 Hungary	92.6
37	🇬🇫 French Guiana	92.9
38	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	92.9
39	🇲🇪 Montenegro	92.9
40	🇭🇷 Croatia	93.3
41	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	93.7
42	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	93.7
43	🇵🇱 Poland	93.8
44	🇷🇴 Romania	93.9
45	🇫🇷 France	94.1
46	🇬🇷 Greece	94.1
47	🇲🇽 Mexico	94.1
48	🇸🇽 Sint Maarten	94.3
49	🇺🇾 Uruguay	94.3
50	🇦🇮 Anguilla	94.3
51	🇲🇿 Mozambique	94.5
52	🇹🇭 Thailand	94.5
53	🇰🇮 Kiribati	94.7
54	🇿🇦 South Africa	94.7
55	🇬🇾 Guyana	94.7
56	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	94.8
57	🇱🇧 Lebanon	94.8
58	🇯🇵 Japan	95.1
59	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	95.1
60	🇨🇰 Cook Islands	95.2
61	🇱🇸 Lesotho	95.2
62	🇸🇰 Slovakia	95.3
63	🇲🇼 Malawi	95.4
64	🇳🇦 Namibia	95.4
65	🇧🇲 Bermuda	95.4
66	🇷🇼 Rwanda	95.5
67	🇲🇨 Monaco	95.7
68	🇮🇹 Italy	95.9
69	🇻🇳 Vietnam	96.0
70	🇹🇰 Tokelau	96.1
71	🇰🇭 Cambodia	96.3
72	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	96.3
73	🇪🇸 Spain	96.4
74	🇲🇷 Mauritania	96.5
75	🇫🇰 Falkland Islands	96.6
76	🇸🇿 Eswatini	96.6
77	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	96.6
78	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	96.7
79	🇧🇷 Brazil	96.7
80	🇸🇸 South Sudan	96.7
81	🇸🇲 San Marino	96.8
82	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	96.9
83	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	96.9
84	🇵🇲 Saint Pierre and Miquelon	97.1
85	🇦🇹 Austria	97.1
86	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	97.1
87	🇱🇨 Saint Lucia	97.1
88	🇨🇺 Cuba	97.2
89	🇨🇿 Czechia	97.4
90	🇯🇪 Jersey	97.4
91	🇨🇴 Colombia	97.4
92	🇳🇨 New Caledonia	97.4
93	🇧🇪 Belgium	97.5
94	🇻🇪 Venezuela	97.5
95	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	97.5
96	🇩🇪 Germany	97.6
97	🇬🇬 Guernsey	97.6
98	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	97.6
99	🇹🇳 Tunisia	97.6
100	🇪🇷 Eritrea	97.6
101	🇦🇱 Albania	97.7
102	🇹🇼 Taiwan	97.7
103	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	97.7
104	🇯🇲 Jamaica	97.7
105	🇭🇹 Haiti	97.7
106	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	97.9
107	🇮🇲 Isle of Man	97.9
108	🇫🇮 Finland	97.9
109	🇮🇪 Ireland	98.0
110	🇦🇴 Angola	98.0
111	🇿🇲 Zambia	98.1
112	🇰🇵 North Korea	98.2
113	🇩🇯 Djibouti	98.2
114	🇸🇩 Sudan	98.2
115	🇬🇳 Guinea	98.2
116	🇹🇿 Tanzania	98.4
117	🇬🇹 Guatemala	98.4
118	🇨🇩 DR Congo	98.5
119	🇦🇺 Australia	98.5
120	🇵🇸 Palestine	98.5
121	🇫🇯 Fiji	98.5
122	🇺🇬 Uganda	98.6
123	🇨🇦 Canada	98.6
124	🇲🇸 Montserrat	98.6
125	🇦🇷 Argentina	98.6
126	🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe	98.7
127	🇧🇮 Burundi	98.7
128	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	98.8
129	🇰🇪 Kenya	98.8
130	🇳🇱 Netherlands	98.8
131	🇨🇱 Chile	98.8
132	🇨🇭 Switzerland	98.8
133	🇩🇰 Denmark	98.9
134	🇵🇪 Peru	98.9
135	🇱🇮 Liechtenstein	98.9
136	🇳🇿 New Zealand	98.9
137	🇲🇲 Myanmar	99.0
138	🇬🇮 Gibraltar	99.0
139	🇬🇲 Gambia	99.2
140	🇲🇳 Mongolia	99.2
141	🇧🇼 Botswana	99.2
142	🇲🇺 Mauritius	99.3
143	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	99.3
144	🇮🇱 Israel	99.3
145	🇨🇲 Cameroon	99.3
146	🇪🇨 Ecuador	99.4
147	🇰🇷 South Korea	99.4
148	🇩🇲 Dominica	99.5
149	🇹🇷 Turkey	99.5
150	🇵🇭 Philippines	99.5
151	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	99.5
152	🇸🇷 Suriname	99.7
153	🇬🇭 Ghana	99.7
154	🇱🇷 Liberia	99.8
155	🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo	99.9

Russia offers one of the region’s most prominent examples. Higher male mortality, shorter male life expectancy, historical wartime losses, and alcohol-related deaths all contribute to its ratio of 86.4 men per 100 women.

Why Sex Ratios Change Over Time

Sex ratios at birth naturally favor boys by a small margin, but populations rarely maintain that balance. Migration, life expectancy, war, public health, and economic opportunity can all reshape a country’s demographic profile over decades.

As these forces evolve, the map represents a snapshot rather than a permanent reality. Countries experiencing rapid immigration, population aging, conflict, or major improvements in healthcare may see their gender balance shift substantially from one generation to the next.