The world’s population ratio between men and women has fluctuated over the course of history, with each gender trading positions. Today, the ratio between single males and females has remained relatively equal, but within certain countries there has been a wide gap. There are several explanations for this, including the violent treatment of women, wars that have resulted in mass migration and gender inequality that has caused women to leave their home countries for better work opportunities. With that, here is a look at 15 countries where men have difficulties finding a wife due to a shortage of women
1. Qatar
Qatar makes the top of the list by a long shot. The ratio of men to women in this wealthy, oil-rich Middle Eastern country is 3.41 to 1. Excluding the aforementioned UAE, no other country even has a male to female ratio greater than 1.54. The wide ratio in Qatar is largely attributed to the influx of male immigrants who now make up 94% of the country’s entire workforce. While the government is eager to issue work visas to foreign males to fill skilled managerial positions and construction jobs, foreign women have a nearly impossible time getting visas if they don’t come from places like Canada or the UK.
2. United Arab Emirates
At the turn of the 20th century, UAE had a mere 40,000 residents with women comprising 22,000 of them. But the discovery of oil turned this desert full of fishing villages into the insanely wealthy, modern tourist destination that the country has become today. Foreigners make up 85% of the country’s population and they are overwhelmingly male. With the lack of single ladies, a lot of Emirati males have left the country to find love
3. India
Poised to overtake China as the world’s #1 most populated country by 2024, India has a serious shortage of women. The ratio currently stands at 1.08 males for every female, which comes out to around 37 million more males. Much like China, there has been a focus on sex selection (by and large Indian men are still expected to be the breadwinners in their families and support their parents once they age). Unfortunately it appears that the gap will only continue to grow over the upcoming years
4. The U.S.
Okay, so putting America on the list is cheating a bit. According to the most recent census in 2010, there were actually 157 million females in the U.S. compared to 151.8 males. Nonetheless, there are several major cities where men outnumber women, most notably in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. LA is home to 90,000 more single men then women. Meanwhile, in Sin City, there are 103 men over the age of 18 for every 100 women. What we’re saying is, if you are a single woman who enjoys sunshine all year long or slot machines, LA and Vegas men are eager to cuddle with you!
5. China
The world’s most populous country has 40 million more men then women. This is due to a tragic problem of their own making: sex-selective abortions and female infanticide in a country where gender bias remains prominent and the belief that a male heir is necessary. The gap is even more prevalent in villages where families place more value on males. The government has finally begun to address the problem. In the meantime, eligible Chinese bachelors could always try to win the hearts of girls in neighboring Russia, where there is a shortage of men.
