Sex Ratio At Birth:
A recent study has reported that “son bias” is on a decline in India as Sex Ratio at Birth normalised from 111 boys per 100 girls in 2011 to 108 boys per 100 girls in 2019-21.
Findings of the Report:
- The average annual number of baby girls “missing” in India fell from about 4.8 lakh in 2010 to 4.1 lakh in 2019.
- The “missing” here refers to how many more female births would have occurred during this time if there were no female-selective abortions.
- From 111 boys per 100 girls in India’s 2011 census, the sex ratio at birth have normalised slightly, narrowing to about 109 in the 2015-16 wave of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and to 108 boys in the NFHS 5 2019-21.
- Between 2000-2019, nine crore female births went “missing” because of female-selective abortions.
Religion Wise Sex Ratio:
- The report has also analysed religion-wise sex selection, pointing out that the gap was the highest for Sikhs.
- In the 2001 census, Sikhs had a sex ratio at birth of 130 males per 100 females, far exceeding that year’s national average of 110.
- By the 2011 census, the Sikh ratio had narrowed to 121 boys per 100 girls.
- It now hovers around 110, about the same as the ratio of males to females at birth among the country’s Hindu majority (109), according to the latest NFHS.
- Both Chirstians (105 boys to 100 girls) and Muslims (106 boys to 100 girls) have sex ratios close to the natural norm.
Religion Wise Share in Missing Girls:
- Share in Indian Population:
- Sikh: 2%
- Hindu: 80%
- Muslim: 14%
- Christian: 2.3%
- Share in Missing Girls due to Sex-Selective Abortion:
-
- Sikh: 5%
- Hindu: 87%
- Muslim: 7%
- Christian: 0.6%
