In China in recent years, male live births have exceeded those of females by amounts far greater than those that occur naturally in human populations, a trend with significant demographic consequences. The resulting imbalance in the first-marriage market is estimated to be about 1 million males per year after 2010. These "excess" males were not easily accommodated in models with substantial changes in first-marriage patterns, The current sex ratio at birth has little effect on a couple’s probability of having at least one son, so future increases in the sex ratio may well occur, especially given increasing access to sex-selective abortion.