The National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) said Wednesday that China's male-to-female birth ratio fell for the third consecutive year in 2011, but it remains 10 percentage points above the critical level, the People's Daily reported.

The statistics show that the ratio stood at 117.78 in 2011, compared with 117.94 in 2010 and 119.45 in 2009. The NPFPC attributed the fall to the tough measures implemented by the government.

Discussing the measures, NPFPC official Zhang Jian said: "This [fall] reflects the effectiveness of the comprehensive measures that China has taken in recent years, such as crackdowns on non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions, and care-for-girls campaigns."

Despite the fall, China's sex ratio imbalance still poses a serious social threat to the country. By 2020, there will be an estimated 24 million more marriage-age men than women.

"The perennial birth sex ratio imbalance is both a serious demographical issue and a pressing social issue," Zhang said.

To tackle the problem at source, China has to create a healthy political environment for women, promote gender equality and boost women's social status, he added.

(China.org.cn March 30, 2012)

据《人民日报》报道，国家人口和计划生育委员会周三表示，2011年我国男女出生性别比例连续第三年有所下降，但还是高出警戒线10个百分点。

数据显示，2011年出生性别比为117.78，而2010年为117.94，2009年为119.45。计生委将此结果归功于我国政府采取的严格措施。

计生委官员张建谈到这些措施时表示：“这说明近年来开展的综合治理措施取得一定成效，如打击‘两非’行为、关爱女孩行动等。”

虽然出生性别比例有所下降，但男女比例失衡仍对中国社会构成严重威胁。预计到2020年，适婚年龄男子将比女子多出2400万。

张建说：“出生人口性别比长期持续偏高，不仅是严峻的人口问题，更是重大的社会问题。”

他补充道，要从根本上解决这个问题，我国必须为妇女创造一个健康的政治环境，推动两性平等，提高妇女的社会地位。