A UN report has found that the number of girls in India dying before the age of five is relatively higher than the boys. It says India is among the countries with the largest surplus of men and a worrying under-five sex ratio. The World's Women 2015 report launched today said men outnumber women in eastern Asia, southern Asia, Oceania, and western Asia.<br/><br/>The report says that in India, while sex-selective abortions have been technically illegal since 1996, the law has had little effect so far on the sex ratio at birth. Higher mortality among girls can be closely related to a general preference for sons in India, which is expressed in special treatment for boys in terms of parental investment in nutrition, vaccinations, access to health treatment and parental care in general, the report said.<br/><br/>It further said that in China and India, between 1995 and 2013, women's participation in the labour force declined from 72 to 64 per cent and from 35 to 27 percent, respectively. Child marriage is also most common in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with India accounting for one-third of the global total of child brides.