Eurostat: Women Outnumber Men in Europe, Despite More Boys Being Born

Although more boys than girls are born in Europe and Albania, the gender ratio changes over the years. Women make up the majority of the population, mainly because they have a longer life expectancy than men.

According to Eurostat data for 2025, Albania ranks among the European countries with the smallest gap between women and men. The country has 102.2 women for every 100 men, a level almost identical to Ireland’s and below the European Union average of 104.2 women per 100 men.

In the region, only North Macedonia has a lower ratio than Albania, with 101.9 women for every 100 men.

The situation is different in the rest of Europe. Latvia has the highest number of women relative to men, with 115.6 women for every 100 men, followed by Estonia and Lithuania. Eurostat attributes this trend mainly to women’s higher life expectancy, as they live longer than men in every European Union member state.

Albania’s narrower gender ratio is linked to the composition of its population and demographic developments. Overall, women outnumber men in Europe, while there are few countries where men are in the majority. Of the 41 countries included in the Eurostat report, only six have more men than women.

Malta records the largest gap in favor of men, with 88.3 women for every 100 men. Meanwhile, in Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the ratio between the two genders is almost equal.