Countries That Have More Men Than Women

In most parts of the world, the number of men and women tends to even out over time. While boys slightly outnumber girls at birth, life expectancy and other social factors usually balance things out. 

But in some countries, that balance is heavily tilted with men making up a surprisingly large share of the population. So, what’s behind this gender gap?

Let’s take a look at the countries where men significantly outnumber women—and why that might be.

Gulf Nations: Men on a Mission

The biggest gender imbalances are seen in the Gulf region. Qatar leads the pack, where an estimated 72% of the population is male. The United Arab Emirates follows closely with 64%. In both countries, this isn’t due to some natural birth pattern or national policy. It’s economics.

These countries rely heavily on foreign labor particularly men who work in construction, oil, and other physically demanding industries. Most of these workers live there temporarily and without their families. 

As a result, the male population swells while the female count remains relatively low.

Other Gulf countries like Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia show similar trends, with male populations ranging from 61% to 62%. It’s a clear regional pattern shaped by large-scale labor migration.

Island Nations With a Gender TwistFar from the Middle East, small nations like the Maldives (62% male), Seychelles (55%), and Palau (54%) also report male-dominant populations. The reason? Again, it comes down to foreign workers often brought in to support booming tourism sectors or infrastructure projects.

These islands attract a specific kind of temporary workforce, often dominated by men who come for short-term contracts and leave without settling permanently.

Surprising OutliersOutside the obvious clusters, a few unexpected countries also appear on the list. Take Greenland, for instance, 53% male. Or Malta and Malaysia, both at around 52%. Bhutan, Brunei, and Equatorial Guinea also fall into this category.

What ties many of these countries together is the presence of temporary male workers or students who skew the gender balance, even if only slightly. In some cases, it’s also influenced by internal migration, where more men move into cities or industrial areas while women stay behind in rural regions.

Globally, most countries maintain a fairly even male-to-female ratio. But these outliers serve as a reminder that population numbers can be heavily shaped by human movement whether for work, study, or better opportunities. Migration, labor needs, and economic structure can all influence who lives where and in what numbers.

So next time you hear that a country is “full of men,” it might not be a myth. It could be the result of a deep, complex story of global labor and migration trends.