The ratio of male births in South Korea has dropped to a record low, suggesting that the traditional preference for boys in the country may be receding.

According to Statistics Korea on Monday, the proportion of baby boys to every 100 newborn girls came to 104-point-nine last year, down from 105-point-five in 2019.

The latest tally is the lowest since the statistics agency began compiling related data in 1990.

While the sex ratio at birth normally reaches between 103 and 107 when natural births are calculated without preference for boys, men have outnumbered women in South Korea due to a traditional preference for male children.

Since hitting 116-point-five in 1990, the birth gender ratio has been on a steady decline, falling to 110-point-one in 2000, 106-point-nine in 2010 and 104-point-nine in 2020.

The agency had earlier projected that the number of women in the country will begin to outpace that of men in 2029, reflecting men's life expectancy being shorter by around six years compared to that of women.