Data for 1981

Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981

Name: Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981
Creator: UN DESA Population Division
License: https://population.un.org/wpp/downloads

1981, as UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981 covers 222 countries. Northern Mariana Islands is highest, at 109.3; Zambia is lowest, at 100.6. The middle country reads 105.0. Against 1980, 109 values changed (49 up, 60 down), the same countries are covered.

Download CSV Cite this year

Share this page

Sex Ratio at Birth · Data for 1981

HighestNorthern Mariana Islands

109.3

LowestZambia

100.6

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the highest end.

222countries
1measure
1981the year it describes
65distinct values1 decimal, as published
Sep 26, 2026read from the publisher
CC BY 3.0 IGOlicence

01Values only

The table

Every country and every column of Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981, as published. The file carries values only, so no position is shown. “=” marks a shared position.

Search this table

Showing 25 of 222 countries · select a heading to sort

Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981: every country, as published by UN DESA Population Division.

Northern Mariana Islands`MNP`Micronesia	109.3
Albania`ALB`Southern Europe	108.8
Spain`ESP`Southern Europe	108.7
Philippines`PHL`South-eastern Asia	108.0
Tonga`TON`Polynesia	108.0
Singapore`SGP`South-eastern Asia	107.8
Palau`PLW`Micronesia	107.7
Gibraltar`GIB`Southern Europe	107.6
Papua New Guinea`PNG`Melanesia	107.6
Samoa`WSM`Polynesia	107.6
Greece`GRC`Southern Europe	107.5
Uzbekistan`UZB`Central Asia	107.5
South Korea`KOR`Eastern Asia	107.4
China`CHN`Eastern Asia	107.3
Cyprus`CYP`Western Asia	107.3
Nauru`NRU`Micronesia	107.2
North Macedonia`MKD`Southern Europe	107.2
Timor-Leste`TLS`South-eastern Asia	107.2
Kiribati`KIR`Micronesia	107.1
Niue`NIU`Polynesia	107.1
Bosnia and Herzegovina`BIH`Southern Europe	107.0
Georgia`GEO`Western Asia	107.0
Kosovo`XKX`Southern Europe	107.0
Macau`MAC`Eastern Asia	107.0
Marshall Islands`MHL`Micronesia	107.0
Micronesia`FSM`Micronesia	107.0
Serbia`SRB`Southern Europe	107.0
Solomon Islands`SLB`Melanesia	107.0
Tuvalu`TUV`Polynesia	107.0
Vanuatu`VUT`Melanesia	107.0
Brunei`BRN`South-eastern Asia	106.9
Fiji`FJI`Melanesia	106.9
India`IND`Southern Asia	106.9
Malta`MLT`Southern Europe	106.9
Taiwan`TWN`Eastern Asia	106.9
Myanmar`MMR`South-eastern Asia	106.6
San Marino`SMR`Southern Europe	106.6
Turkmenistan`TKM`Central Asia	106.6
Yemen`YEM`Western Asia	106.6
Portugal`PRT`Southern Europe	106.5
Armenia`ARM`Western Asia	106.4
Azerbaijan`AZE`Western Asia	106.4
Bulgaria`BGR`Eastern Europe	106.4
Croatia`HRV`Southern Europe	106.4
Indonesia`IDN`South-eastern Asia	106.4
Thailand`THA`South-eastern Asia	106.4
Vietnam`VNM`South-eastern Asia	106.4
Andorra`AND`Southern Europe	106.3
Cuba`CUB`Caribbean	106.3
Hong Kong`HKG`Eastern Asia	106.3
Guam`GUM`Micronesia	106.2
Malaysia`MYS`South-eastern Asia	106.2
Tajikistan`TJK`Central Asia	106.2
Ethiopia`ETH`Eastern Africa	106.1
Faroe Islands`FRO`Northern Europe	106.1
Jordan`JOR`Western Asia	106.1
Moldova`MDA`Eastern Europe	106.1
American Samoa`ASM`Polynesia	106.0
Egypt`EGY`Northern Africa	106.0
Italy`ITA`Southern Europe	106.0
North Korea`PRK`Eastern Asia	106.0
Pakistan`PAK`Southern Asia	106.0
Belgium`BEL`Western Europe	105.9
Ireland`IRL`Northern Europe	105.9
Japan`JPN`Eastern Asia	105.9
Kazakhstan`KAZ`Central Asia	105.9
Latvia`LVA`Northern Europe	105.9
Montserrat`MSR`Caribbean	105.9
Slovenia`SVN`Southern Europe	105.9
Cook Islands`COK`Polynesia	105.8
Estonia`EST`Northern Europe	105.8
French Polynesia`PYF`Polynesia	105.8
Montenegro`MNE`Southern Europe	105.8
Poland`POL`Eastern Europe	105.8
Switzerland`CHE`Western Europe	105.8
Iceland`ISL`Northern Europe	105.7
Australia`AUS`Australia and New Zealand	105.6
Iraq`IRQ`Western Asia	105.6
Luxembourg`LUX`Western Europe	105.6
Maldives`MDV`Southern Asia	105.6
Norway`NOR`Northern Europe	105.6
Tunisia`TUN`Northern Africa	105.6
Canada`CAN`Northern America	105.5
Czechia`CZE`Eastern Europe	105.5
Germany`DEU`Western Europe	105.5
New Caledonia`NCL`Melanesia	105.5
Sweden`SWE`Northern Europe	105.5
Syria`SYR`Western Asia	105.5
Belize`BLZ`Central America	105.4
Cambodia`KHM`South-eastern Asia	105.4
France`FRA`Western Europe	105.4
Lebanon`LBN`Western Asia	105.4
New Zealand`NZL`Australia and New Zealand	105.4
Romania`ROU`Eastern Europe	105.4
Costa Rica`CRI`Central America	105.3
Laos`LAO`South-eastern Asia	105.3
United Kingdom`GBR`Northern Europe	105.3
Israel`ISR`Western Asia	105.2
Lithuania`LTU`Northern Europe	105.2
United States`USA`Northern America	105.2
Austria`AUT`Western Europe	105.1
Belarus`BLR`Eastern Europe	105.1
Denmark`DNK`Northern Europe	105.1
Finland`FIN`Northern Europe	105.1
Afghanistan`AFG`Southern Asia	105.0
Greenland`GRL`Northern America	105.0
Honduras`HND`Central America	105.0
Isle of Man`IMN`Northern Europe	105.0
Libya`LBY`Northern Africa	105.0
Palestine`PSE`Western Asia	105.0
Saudi Arabia`SAU`Western Asia	105.0
Türkiye`TUR`Western Asia	105.0
Turks and Caicos Islands`TCA`Caribbean	105.0
Ukraine`UKR`Eastern Europe	105.0
Vatican City`VAT`Southern Europe	105.0
Bhutan`BTN`Southern Asia	104.9
British Virgin Islands`VGB`Caribbean	104.9
Hungary`HUN`Eastern Europe	104.9
Monaco`MCO`Western Europe	104.9
Panama`PAN`Central America	104.9
Puerto Rico`PRI`Caribbean	104.9
Russia`RUS`Eastern Europe	104.9
Slovakia`SVK`Eastern Europe	104.9
Bangladesh`BGD`Southern Asia	104.8
Kyrgyzstan`KGZ`Central Asia	104.8
Netherlands`NLD`Western Europe	104.8
Paraguay`PRY`South America	104.8
Curaçao`CUW`Caribbean	104.7
Morocco`MAR`Northern Africa	104.7
Uruguay`URY`South America	104.7
Argentina`ARG`South America	104.6
Benin`BEN`Western Africa	104.6
Colombia`COL`South America	104.6
Nepal`NPL`Southern Asia	104.6
Nigeria`NGA`Western Africa	104.6
Qatar`QAT`Western Asia	104.6
Algeria`DZA`Northern Africa	104.5
Brazil`BRA`South America	104.5
Ecuador`ECU`South America	104.5
Guinea`GIN`Western Africa	104.5
Oman`OMN`Western Asia	104.5
Somalia`SOM`Eastern Africa	104.5
Sri Lanka`LKA`Southern Asia	104.5
Bolivia`BOL`South America	104.4
Ghana`GHA`Western Africa	104.4
Jamaica`JAM`Caribbean	104.4
Venezuela`VEN`South America	104.4
Chile`CHL`South America	104.3
Dominican Republic`DOM`Caribbean	104.3
Sint Maarten`SXM`Caribbean	104.3
Aruba`ABW`Caribbean	104.2
Burkina Faso`BFA`Western Africa	104.2
Niger`NER`Western Africa	104.2
Peru`PER`South America	104.2
Sudan`SDN`Northern Africa	104.2
Madagascar`MDG`Eastern Africa	104.1
South Africa`ZAF`Southern Africa	104.1
Trinidad and Tobago`TTO`Caribbean	104.1
Bermuda`BMU`Northern America	104.0
Guinea-Bissau`GNB`Western Africa	104.0
Saint Martin`MAF`Caribbean	104.0
Liberia`LBR`Western Africa	103.9
Mauritania`MRT`Western Africa	103.9
Mexico`MEX`Central America	103.9
Chad`TCD`Middle Africa	103.8
Djibouti`DJI`Eastern Africa	103.8
El Salvador`SLV`Central America	103.8
Guatemala`GTM`Central America	103.8
Mali`MLI`Western Africa	103.8
Saint Kitts and Nevis`KNA`Caribbean	103.8
Suriname`SUR`South America	103.8
Mongolia`MNG`Eastern Asia	103.7
Seychelles`SYC`Eastern Africa	103.7
Cabo Verde`CPV`Western Africa	103.6
Cayman Islands`CYM`Caribbean	103.6
Nicaragua`NIC`Central America	103.6
United States Virgin Islands`VIR`Caribbean	103.6
Kuwait`KWT`Western Asia	103.5
South Sudan`SSD`Eastern Africa	103.5
Sierra Leone`SLE`Western Africa	103.4
Grenada`GRD`Caribbean	103.3
Mauritius`MUS`Eastern Africa	103.3
Senegal`SEN`Western Africa	103.3
Anguilla`AIA`Caribbean	103.2
Barbados`BRB`Caribbean	103.2
Botswana`BWA`Southern Africa	103.2
Central African Republic`CAF`Middle Africa	103.2
Dominica`DMA`Caribbean	103.2
Equatorial Guinea`GNQ`Middle Africa	103.2
Eritrea`ERI`Eastern Africa	103.2
Gambia`GMB`Western Africa	103.2
Guyana`GUY`South America	103.2
Antigua and Barbuda`ATG`Caribbean	103.1
Bahrain`BHR`Western Asia	103.1
Comoros`COM`Eastern Africa	103.0
Eswatini`SWZ`Southern Africa	103.0
Angola`AGO`Middle Africa	102.9
Côte d’Ivoire`CIV`Western Africa	102.9
Haiti`HTI`Caribbean	102.9
Saint Lucia`LCA`Caribbean	102.9
Togo`TGO`Western Africa	102.9
Cameroon`CMR`Middle Africa	102.8
Lesotho`LSO`Southern Africa	102.8
Zimbabwe`ZWE`Eastern Africa	102.8
Bahamas`BHS`Caribbean	102.7
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines`VCT`Caribbean	102.7
Tanzania`TZA`Eastern Africa	102.7
Republic of the Congo`COG`Middle Africa	102.6
Burundi`BDI`Eastern Africa	102.5
DR Congo`COD`Middle Africa	102.5
São Tomé and Príncipe`STP`Middle Africa	102.5
United Arab Emirates`ARE`Western Asia	102.4
Uganda`UGA`Eastern Africa	102.2
Gabon`GAB`Middle Africa	102.1
Mozambique`MOZ`Eastern Africa	102.1
Rwanda`RWA`Eastern Africa	102.1
Kenya`KEN`Eastern Africa	101.7
Malawi`MWI`Eastern Africa	101.4
Iran`IRN`Southern Asia	101.2
Liechtenstein`LIE`Western Europe	101.1
Namibia`NAM`Southern Africa	100.8
Zambia`ZMB`Eastern Africa	100.6

02In 1981

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

Northern Mariana Islands109.3
Albania108.8
Spain108.7
Philippinesshared108.0
Tongashared108.0

Lowest

Zambia100.6
Namibia100.8
Liechtenstein101.1
Iran101.2
Malawi101.4

Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads 105.0. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031980 → 1981

Since 1980

What changed between 1980 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

+0 / −0countries joined / left
109values changed, of 222 in both
49 · 60rose · fell
113unchanged

Rose most

South Korea106.1 → 107.4+1.3
Spain107.8 → 108.7+0.9
Bahrain102.6 → 103.1+0.5
Israel104.7 → 105.2+0.5
Switzerland105.4 → 105.8+0.4

Fell most

Iran102.3 → 101.2−1.1
United Arab Emirates103.0 → 102.4−0.6
Czechia106.1 → 105.5−0.6
Italy106.6 → 106.0−0.6
Austria105.6 → 105.1−0.5

Both years come from the same release, so a difference here is a change in the data, not a revision of it. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

How values are stored

One year of the 2024 release
Every year in this series comes from UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 release, recalculated on one method. It can differ from what was first published for 1981.
65 distinct values among 222
Values are stored exactly as published, to 1 decimal. 11 countries share 105.0. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 222 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

.csv
For a spreadsheet or code
222 rows · 6.0 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download sex-ratio-at-birth-1981-nations-inquiry.csv
↗
The publisher’s original
UN DESA Population Division’s own file, on its own site.
WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO · what it allows, in plain words

Cite this edition

UN DESA Population Division (1981). Sex Ratio at Birth, 1981 [data set], describing 1981. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/sex-ratio-at-birth/1981

0674 held

Other years

‹ The year before
Sex Ratio at Birth, 1980
222 countries
The year after ›
Sex Ratio at Birth, 1982
222 countries
All of them
Sex Ratio at Birth: every year
74 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country

07Questions