The reason there were 90,000 more females than males in New Zealand was due to the number of men migrating, particularly to Australia, University of Waikato Population Studies Centre director, Prof Natalie Jackson said.
The imbalance is particularly marked in the South.
With 105 boys born for every 100 girls, males tended to dominate age-group statistics until they reached their 20s, when they began to head overseas.
"Most of them go to Australia."
However, the widening disparity between the number of women and men, particularly in their 30s, would indicate men were not returning to New Zealand, she said.
While not everyone was looking for a partner, Prof Jackson suggested those desperate to find a man should look for "really nice rural blokes" or try overseas.
The man drought appeared to be prevalent in New Zealand's metropolitan areas and in the South Island.
According to the 2006 Census, Dunedin City has 5000 more females, with only a handful of areas recording more men.
University of Otago students Kresta McQueen and Rebecca Main have noticed the shortage of men in the the city.
Ms McQueen said Dunedin men tended to be "very young with no whiskers or muscles, or too old".
"Where are all the good men?"
The pair said it was not uncommon to walk into a bar and see a bevy of beautiful young women, but relatively few men.
"I guess guys can get picky," Ms Main said.
Invercargill boasts 1611 more women and, while it may be a hard road finding the perfect southern man, several areas including Lake Ohau (6/6) and Clinton (147/147) appear to have achieved the perfect balance.
Of the 73 territorial authorities in New Zealand, only 17 recorded more males than females.
Of those, six were in the North Island, 10 in the South Island and the other was the Chatham Islands.
Women interested in heading to a region free of man drought could try their luck in North Island areas such as Otorohanga, and South Taranaki, or Buller, Selwyn, Ashburton, and Waimate in the South Island.
Most affected by the man drought were women aged between 30-34 and 35-39, with both age groups recording 15,000 more females.
Also recording a large difference was the 40-44 age group (12,000 more females), 80-84 (14,000), and 85-89 (13,000).
Naomi Crowder (73), of Sheffield, England, who is in Dunedin for the Masters Games, said the reason for a man drought in New Zealand was simple.
"Women are just wearing them out."
