China may have 30 million to 40 million frustrated bachelors by 2020 as a cultural preference for sons prompts couples to abort girls, leading to more prostitution and trafficking of women, a senior official said on Monday.
Many couples selectively abort female foetuses after medical screenings, resulting in a skewed sex ratio that could set off crime waves and social unrest, said Li Weixiong, vice-chairman of a national advisory body's population committee.
China's birth gender ratio was relatively normal in 1982, Li said, with about 108 boys for every 100 girls. But in 2000, there were about 117 boys for 100 girls, with the ratio soaring to 130 boys in the southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong.