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Birth Data: Recent birth registration data from England and Wales has revealed a notable gender imbalance among children born to mothers of Indian origin, prompting renewed discussion among demographers and public health experts. Figures covering the period from 2021 to 2025 show that approximately 118 boys were born for every 100 girls in this group, a ratio significantly higher than the national average of about 105 and above the upper end of the expected biological range.

This trend has emerged from analysis of official birth records and reflects a pattern that has been observed, and studied, over several years.

Findings From Recent Birth Records

The imbalance becomes more pronounced when birth order is taken into account. According to analysis of Office for National Statistics data reported in the media, the widest gap was recorded among third-born children. In 2021–22, the ratio at third birth stood at roughly 114 boys for every 100 girls. This figure rose further in subsequent years, reaching around 118 boys per 100 girls in both 2023–24 and 2024–25.

Such ratios are well above what demographers would typically expect from natural variation, drawing attention to underlying social or cultural factors that may influence family planning decisions.

Legal Context Around Sex Selection

In the United Kingdom, sex-selective abortion is illegal. The practice is prohibited under the Abortion Act 1967, alongside guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care. UK law allows abortion under specific medical and social grounds, but termination solely on the basis of foetal sex is not permitted.

Authorities have consistently stated that any breach of these regulations would constitute a serious offence, although proving such cases remains challenging due to limitations in available data.

Earlier Government Analysis and Long-Term Trends

The latest figures build upon earlier findings from a major government-commissioned study. A report titled Sex ratios at birth in the United Kingdom: 2017 to 2021, published in October 2023 by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, examined approximately 3.6 million live births across the UK.

While the overall national sex ratio during that period remained within normal biological limits at 105.4 males per 100 females, a different pattern was identified among Indian-ethnicity births at third or later order in England and Wales. In those cases, the ratio reached 113 boys per 100 girls, a deviation described by researchers as statistically significant.

Estimates of Missing Female Births

Using established demographic techniques, the 2017–2021 analysis estimated that around 400 female births of Indian ethnicity may not be reflected in the data. Researchers stressed that this figure should not be read as a direct count but rather as a proxy indicator used internationally to flag the possible presence of sex-selective practices.

Such estimates are commonly employed in population studies where direct evidence is unavailable, helping policymakers identify areas that may require closer scrutiny.

Comparisons With Other Ethnic Groups

The same government report noted that no other ethnic group showed a comparable, statistically robust imbalance linked to birth order. Some communities, including Bangladeshi, Black African and White British populations, displayed higher raw ratios in certain sub-samples. However, analysts concluded that these variations were consistent with random fluctuation rather than a sustained trend.

This distinction has been important in shaping the interpretation of the data and in avoiding overgeneralisation.

Abortion Data and Its Limitations

The 2023 analysis also reviewed abortion records from 2017 to 2021 in England and Wales. During that period, 13,843 legal abortions were recorded among women of Indian ethnicity who already had two or more children. The majority of these procedures, about 87.5 per cent, occurred before seven weeks of gestation, when foetal sex cannot typically be identified through routine screening.

A smaller proportion took place later in pregnancy, at stages when sex determination is technically possible. However, UK datasets do not record the sex of the foetus at termination, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn.

Ongoing Debate and Policy Attention

Researchers and observers caution that imbalanced birth ratios alone cannot conclusively prove sex-selective abortion. Establishing such a link would require direct evidence connecting sex determination to termination decisions, which is not currently available in national records.

Nevertheless, sustained deviations from expected norms over multiple years are widely viewed by demographers as signals that warrant further policy discussion, community engagement and public health attention, particularly as newer data continues to be compared against earlier findings.