Description
The ratio between the male and female population size is called the gender ratio. This ratio is not stable — it is shaped by biological, social, technological, cultural, and economic forces. In turn, the gender ratio has an impact on society, demography, and the economy. On this page, we provide an overview of how the gender ratio varies across the world and over time. We present data on how it varies between age groups and the forces that influence the gender ratio. Many argue persuasively that the terms “gender” and “sex” are not to be used interchangeably.1 In this context, we have made an exception — we speak of the “gender ratio” because it’s a familiar term and will help people who want to search for the topic and learn about it. But we also speak of the “sex ratio” because it is more accurate in this situation – reflecting that the underlying data is based on sex — and because this term is increasingly used in the academic literature.
Source
https://ourworldindata.org/gender-ratio
Language
English
Authors
Hannah Ritchie, Max Roser
Publication
Our World in Data
Date
2024
