A new report finds there are far more men than women throughout the world, but women are catching up.
The U.N. is tracking a demographic shift. In 2021, there were about 44 million more men than women globally. However, that difference is likely to disappear by 2050. Wendell Cox, a demographer, says the U.S. and other first world countries are in good shape, with just slightly more women than men.
“98 men to 100 women [in the U.S.],” Cox said. “Largely explainable by the fact that women tend to live just a little bit longer. So, among the elderly there’s an imbalance, but through much of society there’s not.”
In many other countries the ratios are much wider.
“You look at Russia, where they only have 87 men for every 100 women, still trying to get over the terrible losses the country suffered during World War II,” Cox explained. “Or China, with the one child policy that really backfired.”
Experts predict the male-to-female ratios will narrow in the years to come thanks to better overall health, and the decline of countries with policies that favor the birth of boys over the birth of girls.