Fertility differentials among major ethnic groups in Nigeria: evidence from 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey

Abstract

This study examined desired fertility among the major ethnic groups, determined the effect of education, wealth index, employment status and age at first marriage, on the differences in fertility among the three major ethnic groups, as well as assessed the relationship between contraceptive use and fertility among the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. The study used secondary data of 10,483 women who have had at least a child within five years preceding the survey in the major ethnic groups, obtained from the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2008). The result showed that the Hausa/Fulani women had the highest fertility (mean CEB, 2.18) followed by the Igbo women (mean CEB, 2.01), while the Yoruba women had the lowest fertility (mean CEB, 1.81). The study concluded that the variations in the socio-economic and demographic variables of the major ethnic groups were the major reasons for the observed fertility differentials.