Vlachadis Nikolaos, Christodoulaki Chryssi, Machairiotis Nikolaos, Louis Konstantinos, Panagopoulos Periklis
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital of Messinia, Kalamata, GRC.
Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Attiko Hospital, Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 5;17(3):e80098. doi: 10.7759/cureus.80098. eCollection 2025 Mar.
The sex ratio at birth, defined as the ratio of male to female live births, is a key indicator in the study of human reproduction and demographic patterns. This study aims to systematically examine the sex ratio in Greece and analyze its temporal trends over the period from 1956 to 2023.
Data on the total number of live births in Greece, categorized by sex, were obtained from the Hellenic Statistical Authority based on birth certificate records. The sex ratio for each year was calculated as the number of male births per 1,000 female births. Trend analysis was conducted using joinpoint regression and supplemented with linear regression. The annual percent change (APC) and the beta coefficient were computed, along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).
Between 1956 and 2023, a total of 8,215,934 live births were recorded in Greece. The overall sex ratio at birth across all years was 1,068 male births per 1,000 female births, resulting in 269,468 excess male neonates. The gender ratio at birth ranged from a low of 1,047 in 1996 to a high of 1,085 in 2001. In all reported years, the sex ratio at birth was above 1,050, except for 1996. In the most recent year, 2023, the male-to-female ratio at birth was the second lowest of the entire period, at 1,051. Trend analysis revealed that the sex ratio at birth remained stable from 1956 to 1982 (p = 0.862) and showed a statistically significant downward trend from 1982 to 2023, with an annual percent change of -0.0274 (p = 0.004), or an average annual decrease of -0.297 (95% CI: -0.504 to -0.090, p = 0.006) male births per 1,000 female births.
The sex ratio at birth in Greece has significantly declined over the past four decades, reflecting similar trends observed in other developed nations. Further research is required to investigate the complex biological, demographic, and social factors influencing these trends, providing deeper insight into key aspects of human reproduction.
出生性别比定义为男、女活产数之比，是人类生殖和人口模式研究中的一个关键指标。本研究旨在系统考察希腊的出生性别比，并分析1956年至2023年期间其随时间的变化趋势。
希腊按性别分类的活产总数数据来自希腊统计局，基于出生证明记录。每年的出生性别比计算为每1000例女婴出生对应的男婴出生数。使用连接点回归进行趋势分析，并辅以线性回归。计算年度百分比变化（APC）和β系数，以及95%置信区间（95%CI）。
1956年至2023年期间，希腊共记录了8215934例活产。所有年份的总体出生性别比为每1000例女婴出生对应1068例男婴出生，导致男婴新生儿多出269468例。出生性别比从1996年的低点1047到2001年的高点1085不等。在所有报告年份中，除1996年外，出生性别比均高于1050。在最近的2023年，出生时的男女比例是整个时期第二低的，为1051。趋势分析表明，出生性别比在1956年至1982年期间保持稳定（p = 0.862），在1982年至2023年期间呈现出统计学上显著的下降趋势，年度百分比变化为-0.0274（p = 0.004），即每1000例女婴出生对应的男婴出生数平均每年减少-0.297（95%CI：-0.504至-0.090，p = 0.006）。
希腊的出生性别比在过去四十年中显著下降，这反映了在其他发达国家观察到的类似趋势。需要进一步研究以调查影响这些趋势的复杂生物学、人口统计学和社会因素，从而更深入地了解人类生殖的关键方面。
