In this article, we take a look at cities with the highest female to male ratio in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis on migration, economy and gender ratio and go directly to the 5 Cities with Highest Female to Male Ratio in the World.
As of 2023, there are 8 billion people in the world. In the next 30 years, experts predict to see a rise by 2 billion in the population. At the same time, according to the World Bank, less than 50% of the population comprises females. By 2040, the World Bank predicts the population count will surpass 9 billion. And the female-to-male gender ratio will continue to decline.
If we take a deeper look at the statistics, in 2021, 50.42% of the world’s population consisted of males and 49.58% were females. Numerically, this means there were 3,970,238,390 men and 3,904,727,342 women. In other words, today, there are 101 males per 100 females globally.
However, these numbers are not evenly spread around the globe. Some countries like India and China (the two most populous countries of the world) have significantly fewer females than males. On the flipside, countries in Eastern Europe happen to have notably more females than males.
Many factors affect this number, including mortality rates, sex ratios at birth, and migration. For example, in China, there are more male births than female births, and in Russia, men have an average of 11 years less life expectancy than women. Similarly, in the Middle East, the male population heavily outnumbers females, with the ratio being almost 4:1 in the UAE.
Ultimately, due to this uneven spread, the general global gender ratio is skewed. For instance, if China and India were excluded from the data, the ratio of females to males would be higher worldwide.
Migration, Economy, and Gender Ratio
The net inflow of residents by gender in any country or city primarily affects the gender ratio of the region, which, in turn, affects the gender ratio of the world at large.
According to the World Bank’s gender data, between 1990 and 2017, the percentage of female migrants in Europe and Central Asia increased from 52% to 52.4%. In South Asia, the percentage increased by 1.6%, to 48.3%. This change in data affected not only migration statistics but life expectancy figures and gender ratio statistics as well.
Since 2000, a major contributing factor to migration has been the economy and income levels. People generally migrate to places where they can find better jobs and investment opportunities. In turn, this also affects a country’s gender patterns. When women do not have equal access to work opportunities as men in a certain place, they're less likely to move to it.
An example of this phenomenon was observed in North Dakota in 2015 when the Oil Boom brought in significant numbers of male migrants due to increased work opportunities at oil drilling sites. At the time, the ratio of males to females was 105 to 100.
Statistically, in recent years, females have been migrating more to low-income countries than middle and upper-middle-income countries since 2000. The numbers saw a significant decrease of 5.9%, according to the 2017 reports by the World Bank.
Similarly, when men migrate to developing countries, countries like Armenia are left with more women than men. So, the economy and labor market are the primary deciding factors when it comes to sex-selective migration. In turn, this affects the gender ratio of the place in question.
Gender and ESG
Speaking of which, there's still a gender pay gap as well as underrepresentation of women in the workforce in various countries. This is despite the fact that women, in general, work harder than men. This is backed by a report compiled by Hive, a productivity platform, titled "state of the workplace", featured, also, on the World Economic Forum. The report states that women work 10% harder than men in the contemporary workforce.
Various companies and investors have started to notice the unfairness and in the broader ESG landscape, many companies have started working on getting rid of the gender pay gap as well as underpresentation of women in the workforce. As we mentioned in our piece titled, 22 most ethical companies in the world, Yale School of Management has compiled a list of 138 corporations which offer extended benefits for women and close to a third of these happen to be tech corporations like Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL). As part of its ESG goals, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) plans to have 50% of its global workforce made up of people who identify as women by 2030. By the same period, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)'s goal is to have 40% of its global people leaders be women.
A notable criticism against ESG measures is that it can be risky to a company's financial performance. The data, however, paints a completely opposite picture.
Stern School of Business did meta-analysis of a 1,000 studies on ESG, that were published between 2015-2020, and came to the conclusion that ESG and corporate financial performance had a statistically significant positive correlation for 58% of the research in their meta-analysis. The meta-study also found that corporate investments in ESG were actually financially beneficial in the long-run and had no impact on financial performance in the short-run.
The country with the lowest percentage of females is Qatar, with the country having 266 males for every 100 females. Qatar is followed by UAE, with a ratio of 228:100 and Bahrain, with a ratio of 164:100. These three countries are further followed by more middle eastern countries for low female population.
With that said, let's head over to the list of cities with more females than males.
25 Cities with Highest Female to Male Ratio in the World
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Our Methodology
We have ranked the top 25 cities with the highest female-to-male ratio for our list. The list is ranked in descending order of high female-to-male ratios. We have also discussed the job opportunities in the cities for females and males within this list.
Here are the top 25 cities with the highest female-to-male ratio in the world.
25 Cities that have more women than men
25. Tokyo, Japan
Percentage of women: 50.1%
Tokyo, Japan’s famous capital, is also the world’s most populated metropolis. Tokyo city currently has a population of over 13 million. In 2021, the female population in the city was about 6.85 million, which is around 50.1% of the entire population. On the contrary, the male population in the city is 49.9%, amounting to about 6.61 million men.
Also, according to the demographic trends in Japan, men seem to move out of Tokyo significantly less than women. In 2021, the netflow of men who moved out was 1,344, while the netflow of women who moved in was 6,777. That’s because Tokyo offers more job and study opportunities to females than it does to males.
24. Salamanca, Spain
Percentage of women: 51.4%
Salamanca is a city in Northwestern Spain and is the capital of the Salamanca province. It is known for its sandstone architecture and the famous University of Salamanca.
The city has a population of 327,735 people, with 168,533 females and 159,202 males. According to the Economic Complexity Index, the Salamanca province ranks 33rd out of 49 on the ECI. The average salary by 2023’s Q2 in the city was $4.77k MX, with 43.8% of the women being economically active citizens.
23. Lisbon, Portugal
Percentage of women: 53%
Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal and has a population of about 2.8 million, which makes it the largest city in Portugal. Out of these 2.8 million, there are over 1.49 million women and 1.31 million men.
Lisbon is also one of the most densely populated regions in Portugal due to the high average salary for employees.
22. Florence, Italy
Percentage of women: 53%
Florence, the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is known for its Renaissance art and architecture. It is home to 984,991 people, of which, about 509,929 are women and 475,062 are men.
It is generally considered to be a more “feminine” city because of its history. Even today, tourism, textile, and jewelry continue to be the main economies of the city.
21. Bucharest, Romania
Percentage of women: 53.6%
With a population of 1,716,961 people, Bucharest is the capital of Romania and the commercial hub of the country. It is by far the most economically sound and industrialized city in Romania.
Bucharest produces about 21% of Romania’s GDP, and the population demographics of the city suggest a higher female-to-male ratio, with 53.6% of the population being women.
20. Riga, Latvia
Percentage of women: 53.9%
At the mouth of the River Daugava, lies Riga, the capital city of Latvia. Being home to many museums and concert halls, Riga is a cultural hub that has attracted many inhabitants. It has a total population of 626,147 people with 53.9% female population, roughly about 348,643 women.
19. Budapest, Hungary
Percentage of women: 54%
A city bisected by the River Danube, Budapest, holds significant importance for leading Hungary’s commerce and finance sectors.
It is also famous for its architectural marvels, media, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. It is a global city with a population of about 1.774 million, out of which 54% are women.
18. Warsaw, Poland
Percentage of women: 54.1%
Warsaw is most commonly known for its tourist attractions like the Warsaw Old Town. It is the capital of Poland and also the largest city in the country. With an employment rate of 85.4%, Warsaw has the second-highest employment rate in Europe. Some of the world’s top companies, like Google, Metal Steel Polska, and UniCredit operate in Warsaw. Population demographics-wise, Warsaw is home to 1,798,000 people, out of which about 972,718 are females.
17. Vilnius, Lithuania
Percentage of women: 54.8%
Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, is popular for its architecture and blood-soaked history. As of 2023, it has a population of over 552,131, out of which 302,575 are women.
The average salary for women in the city is €29,178. On the other hand, men earn slightly more on average; around €35,227.
16. Porto, Portugal
Percentage of women: 55%
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal with an estimated population of 1,324,652 people. There are higher percentage of females than males, about 55%. Further breakdown of demographics shows that the largest age group by population is 60 to 69, followed by residents of 50 to 59 age.
15. Heritage Village, Connecticut
Percentage of women: 63.1%
Moving on to Heritage Village, a census-designated place in the state of Connecticut. With a total population of just around 3,736, Heritage Village makes up a small city with a deep respect for the natural landscape. Women are more in numbers, around 63.1% of the whole population.
14. Mitchellville, Iowa, US
Percentage of women: 63.5%
Located between Polk and Jasper counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, Mitchellville is a city with a total population of 2,217 people and a median age of 37 years. Women comprise the majority here, with around 63.5% of the population. The city offers residents a suburban-rural mix.
13. McLoud, Oklahoma, US
Percentage of women: 63.8%
McLoud is yet another small city in the northwestern Pottawatomie County of Oklahoma, United States. The city was hailed as the Blackberry Capital of the World in 1940 and has retained that title since then. Today, it has a population of 4,597 people with a median age of 35 years. Out of the total population, women make up the majority, around 63.8%
12. Laguna Woods, California, US
Percentage of women: 64.5%
Located in Orange County, California, Laguna Woods is a comparatively smaller city than most of the other cities mentioned in this list. It has a population of 17,049 only. However, the population here is rapidly declining at an annual rate of 1.16%.
The average household income in Laguna Woods is $70,559. Also, Laguna Woods is home to 10,996 women and only 6,052 men.
11. Lima, Pennsylvania, US
Percentage of women: 64.9%
Lima is a city located in Delaware County in Pennsylvania, United States. It had a total population of 3,225 in the year 2000. After a slight decline in the population over the years, Lima now holds 2,735 residents and out of these, 64.9% are women.
10. Leisure World, Maryland, US
Percentage of women: 65.2%
A small city in Montgomery County in Maryland, Leisure World has a population of 8,749 people. Women make up the majority here, with around 65.2% of the total population.
9. Hawkinsville, Georgia, US
Percentage of women: 65.6%
Hawkinsville is a city in Georgia, United States with a population of 5,507 residents only. Women are more in number than men, making up around 65.6% of the total population.
8. Rossmoor, New Jersey, US
Percentage of women: 66.4%
Rossmoor, an incorporated community, is located within Monroe Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A total of 2,666 people are living in the community, out of which, 66.4% are women.
7. Keuka Park, New York, US
Percentage of women: 66.4%
Known for its popular attractions, such as Garrett Memorial Chapel and State Park, Keuka Park is a hamlet and census-designated place in Yates County, New York. It has a population of 1,137, with around 66.4% being women and just 33.6% men.
6. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
Percentage of women: 66.9%
With a population of 5,611 people, Bryn Mawr is a city located in the suburbs of Pennsylvania. It is home to more women than men, and the median age in the city is 29.5 years. It is also an economically sound city, with the median household salary being $87,625.
