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Shahbazzadegan S. Sex Ratio Imbalance and Deficit of Female Births in Ardabil Province, Iran. Iran J Health Sci 2025; 13 (4) :329-332
URL: http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1079-en.html

Background and Purpose: An imbalanced sex ratio at birth (SRB), characterized by an excess of male births, is a serious problem in some parts of the world . This study was conducted to determine the sex ratio imbalance and deficit of female births in Ardabil Province, Iran. 
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, data related to the births in Ardabil province were extracted from an integrated health system from Mar 2017 to Feb 2024. All live births since the beginning of 2017 were included. The sex ratio for each year was calculated by dividing the number of live male births by the number of live female births and multiplying the result by 100. The expected number of female births was determined by dividing the number of live male births by 105 and then multiplying by 100. The deficit of female births was obtained by subtracting the actual number of female births from the expected number of female births. The obtained data were compared with the normal SRB using a one-sample t-test utilizing SPSS software, version 16. 
Results: A total of 117,763 births occurred in Ardabil Province (64,892 male and 52,871 female) from 2017 to 2024. The expected number of female births was 61797. Therefore, the actual number of female births was 8,926 less than the expected value. The average SRB for the study period was 122.5, which is significantly higher than the normal SRB (P<0.001).
Conclusion: During the past seven years, a deficit of about 9,000 female births compared to the expected value was observed in Ardabil Province. This can intensify population reduction. Education to improve public awareness about gender equity and legal restrictions on sex-selective procedures are suggested.