Ethnic disparities in fertility and its determinants in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: High fertility rate has been consistently reported in Nigeria. The three major ethnic groups in Nigeria, Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba have different socio-cultural identities particularly those that relate to fertility but fertility index is often reported at the national level. This paper examined ethnic differences in fertility and identified its determinants in Nigeria. METHOD: This cross-sectional design study focused on 23,140 women aged 15–49 years. Fertility was measured from information on the full birth history of women of reproductive age. Fertility was assessed using descriptive statistics, parity progression ratio(PPR) and negative binomial model (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The total fertility rate was 8.02, 4.91 and 4.43 among women in Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba ethnic group respectively. The proportion of women with ≥5 children was highest among the Hausa/Fulani (40%), followed by Igbo (21.6%) and Yoruba (17.5%). For women aged 45–49 years; the PPR was highest among Hausa/Fulani while Igbo and Yoruba exhibited a similar pattern. The mean fertility was 1.725(C.I = 1.661–1.792, p < 0.001) times higher among Hausa/Fulani than Yoruba women, but Igbo and Yoruba women exhibited a similar pattern. Controlling for other factors barely changes this pattern. CONCLUSION: Variation existed in fertility across the main ethnic groups in Nigeria, but highest among Hausa/Fulani. Fertility reduction strategies that target improvement in women’s education will reduce the fertility rate in Nigeria, particularly among Hausa/Fulani women. Ethnicity is important in fertility reduction strategies in Nigeria.