Yes, Several Indian States Still Record Sex Ratios Below the National Average — And the Data Is Consistent

The claim that several Indian states record sex ratios below the national average is true, and it is backed by some of the most reliable demographic data available. Far from being a fringe concern, this is a well-documented pattern confirmed by the Census of India, the National Family Health Survey, and the government's own Sample Registration System.

The numbers are clear. India's national sex ratio at birth stood at 929 females per 1,000 males in the NFHS-5 survey covering 2019-21. States including Haryana (916), Punjab (922), Gujarat (909), and Telangana (906) all fell below that benchmark. The 2011 Census told a similar story, with Haryana recording just 879 — one of the lowest figures in the country. The Sample Registration System 2020 report, published by the Registrar General of India, confirms the same northern and western states continue to lag.

It is worth taking the strongest counterpoint seriously: some states have improved over time, and national averages themselves have shifted. That is true. But improvement is not the same as parity. UNICEF India notes that while the overall child sex ratio has shown marginal gains, significant inter-state variation persists. Progress in some regions does not erase the documented shortfall in others.

The root cause is not mysterious. Pew Research Center's 2021 analysis of India's missing women points to cultural son preference and sex-selective abortions as the primary drivers, particularly in northwest and western India. The PCPNDT Act, which bans sex-selective practices, has not been enough to close the gap in these regions.

This kind of misinformation — or rather, the risk of dismissing the claim as exaggerated — tends to emerge when national-level progress is used to obscure regional realities. When you hear someone say India's sex ratio is improving, ask which state they mean. Averages can hide a lot.