More girls at birth than before, but still too few

India’s sex ratio at birth (SRB) has improved from its recent low, but not by much. The latest SRS 2024 data put it at 918 girls per 1,000 boys for 2022-24, up from the low of 896 in 2015-17, still far below the biologically expected level. WHO data reports sex ratio at birth as male births per female births; the commonly observed natural level is about 105 boys for every 100 girls, which translates to roughly 952 girls per 1,000 boys.

A slight excess of boys at birth is normal because male infants are biologically more vulnerable, so nature appears to build in a small cushion.

SRB should not be confused with overall sex ratio or child sex ratio. SRB measures births in a recent period; child sex ratio reflects both births and survival among children; overall sex ratio reflects the entire population. Also, SRS is samplebased, so the safest reading is not tiny year-to-year movement, especially in smaller states/ UTs, but broad three-year averages and longer trends.

The worrying message from the data is this: India has improved from its worst point, but after nearly two decades, the national SRB is only four points better than 2005-07, and the rural number is actually worse. Urban India, once seen as more prone to sex selection, now reports a better SRB than rural India. So, India’s missing girls problem has eased a bit but not ended. With falling fertility rates and smaller families, some states may see a rise in ‘sononly’ families.