A troubling pattern is emerging within parts of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, as new data and expert testimony point to a record number of baby girls allegedly being aborted due to a persistent cultural preference for male children. An investigation has revealed stark birth-ratio imbalances that experts say strongly suggest the continued practice of sex-selective abortions, despite clear legal prohibitions and long-standing government guidance declaring such actions unlawful.
DDM NEWS reports that between 2021 and 2025, official statistics indicate a significant distortion in the ratio of male to female births among Indian mothers living in Britain. During this four-year period, approximately 118 boys were born for every 100 girls, a figure that far exceeds both the national average and the government’s accepted upper threshold for natural variation in birth ratios. Across all ethnic groups in the UK, the typical ratio stands at around 105 boys to every 100 girls, with statisticians warning that any sustained figure above 107 boys per 100 girls raises red flags about potential sex-selective practices.
According to data produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and analysed for a national investigation, the disparity within the Indian community is not only statistically significant but also unprecedented in recent years. Experts argue that such a consistent imbalance cannot be explained by chance alone and instead points toward deliberate interventions, including sex-selective abortions or the misuse of reproductive technologies.
Sex-selective abortion is explicitly against the law in the UK. Government guidance makes it clear that terminating a pregnancy solely on the basis of the unborn child’s sex is illegal, unethical, and contrary to the principles of equality and human rights. Yet, despite these legal safeguards, campaigners and women’s rights advocates warn that deeply ingrained cultural attitudes continue to exert pressure on expectant mothers, often behind closed doors and beyond the reach of formal oversight.
Speaking on the issue, Rani Bilkhu, founder of the domestic abuse charity Jeena International, described the findings as deeply distressing and symptomatic of wider gender inequality within certain communities. “The data shows how boys are being favoured more than girls,” she said. “This shows how community pressures—whether from husbands, in-laws, or extended family—are leading women to abort girls.”
Bilkhu further explained that the issue cannot be understood solely in terms of external coercion. “Some women are also led to abort girls because they have been brought up to believe boys are better than girls, that boys carry the family name and girls don’t,” she noted. “They feel they are worth more if they give birth to boys.” According to her, this internalised belief system reflects a lifetime of social conditioning that devalues female children and ties a woman’s worth to her ability to produce a male heir.
DDM NEWS understands that activists often refer to this phenomenon as a form of “prince syndrome,” where boys are treated as inherently more valuable, entitled, and central to family identity than girls. “I feel boys in the Indian community have the ‘prince syndrome,’” Bilkhu added. “They are seen as better. This is not just an issue about abortion; it is fundamentally about gender equality.”
Pro-life and human rights groups have also expressed alarm over the findings. A spokesperson for Right to Life described the data as “deeply concerning” and warned that the true scale of sex-selective abortion in the UK may be far greater than current figures suggest. According to the organisation, statistical distortions are harder to detect in minority communities with smaller population sizes, meaning that even high proportions of sex-selective terminations may not always register as dramatic anomalies in national datasets.
“This data is very likely to underestimate the number of sex-selective abortions taking place in the UK,” the spokesperson said. “What we are seeing may only be the tip of the iceberg.” The group argues that stronger monitoring, improved safeguarding measures, and culturally sensitive interventions are needed to protect vulnerable women and unborn girls.
Statisticians echo these concerns, noting that birth ratios are a well-established tool for identifying unnatural demographic patterns. Under normal biological conditions, slightly more boys than girls are born, but the margin is narrow and consistent. When ratios rise significantly above expected levels over several years, it suggests deliberate human intervention rather than random variation. In the case of Indian mothers in the UK between 2021 and 2025, the sustained ratio of 118 boys to 100 girls falls well outside the accepted norm.
The revelations have reignited calls for more robust enforcement of existing laws and greater community engagement to address the cultural roots of gender bias. Experts stress that legislation alone cannot solve the problem if harmful beliefs continue to be passed down through generations. Education, advocacy, and open dialogue within affected communities are seen as critical steps toward dismantling the notion that male children are inherently more valuable than female ones.
DDM NEWS reports that campaigners are urging healthcare professionals to receive enhanced training to recognise signs of coercion and to ensure that women seeking abortions are doing so freely, without familial or cultural pressure. There are also calls for better data collection and transparency to help authorities identify and respond to emerging trends more effectively.
At its core, the issue raises uncomfortable questions about gender equality, cultural traditions, and the limits of state intervention in private family matters. While many within the British Indian community reject sex-selective practices and actively campaign for gender equality, the data suggests that harmful attitudes persist in certain quarters, with devastating consequences.
As the debate continues, one point remains clear: the lives and rights of unborn girls, as well as the autonomy and wellbeing of women, must remain central to any response. The challenge for policymakers, community leaders, and society at large is to confront these practices not only as a legal violation but as a profound moral and social failure.