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Armenia's National Action Plan to Prevent Gender-Biased Sex Selection

Armenia · Yerevan · See the Armenia profile

Since 2015, Armenia's government and UNFPA have run a National Action Plan to curb gender-biased sex selection. The sex ratio at birth fell from 115 boys per 100 girls (2012) to under 110 by 2021–2024, though UNFPA and independent media warn the gains remain fragile.

115-120 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (early 2000s)
115 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (2012)
108.8 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (2021)
111 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (early 2022)
110.7 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (2023)
109.9 boys per 100 girls
Sex ratio at birth (2024)
2,232
Estimated 'missing' female births (2000 (peak))
503
Estimated 'missing' female births (2021)
102-106 boys per 100 girls
Biologically normal sex-ratio-at-birth range
Armenia's National Action Plan to Prevent Gender-Biased Sex Selection

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
UNFPA Armenia / Government of the Republic of Armenia
Period
2015–present
Keywords
public health, demography, reproductive rights, government policy

Context

Armenia has had one of the world's most skewed sex ratios at birth, driven by a persistent preference for sons combined with widely available prenatal sex-detection technology and low-fertility 'small family' norms; in the early 2000s the ratio reached as high as 115-120 boys per 100 girls, far above the biologically normal range of 102-106.

Activities

Starting with a 2015-2017 Action Plan on Preventing Sex-Selective Abortions and continuing under a National Action Plan on Gender-Biased Sex Selection prevention since 2020, the Government of Armenia, supported by UNFPA, combined public awareness campaigns, professional guidelines restricting non-medical disclosure of fetal sex, engagement of health workers and local authorities, and data monitoring through the National Statistical Committee.

Results

The sex ratio at birth fell from 115 boys per 100 girls in 2012 to 108.8 in 2021, and the estimated number of 'missing' female births fell from a peak of 2,232 in 2000 to 503 in 2021. Official 2023-2024 data put the ratio at 110.7 and 109.9 respectively, still above the natural baseline.

Conclusions

UNFPA and independent Caucasus media (JAMnews) both note that these gains remain fragile: the ratio ticked back up to 111 boys per 100 girls in early 2022, showing the trend requires sustained investment rather than being treated as solved.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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