Beijing, Mar 29 (IANS): China's gender ratio stood at 117.78 boys for every 100 baby girls in 2011, a decline from 119.45 in 2009 and 117.94 two years ago.
This has been revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics, People's Daily reported Thursday.
The fall indicates that government measures were proving effective, a Chinese official told the newspaper.
A natural gender ratio at birth should be somewhere between 103 and 107 boys to every 100 girls.
Due to the higher mortality rate of boys, the ratio will balance off by the time each generation reaches an age to have their own children.
It is estimated that by 2020, there will be 24 million more men than women at marriage age in China.