Fertility Behaviour and Wealth Situation in Nigeria: Evidence from 2013 Demographic and Health Survey

There is consensus over the possibility of improved wealth situation leading to fertility decline. However, the likelihood of fertility decline leading to a significant improvement in wealth situation remains a subject of intense debate. This study examines the current pattern of linkages between fertility behaviour and wealth situation in Nigeria in an attempt to contribute to the debate. The study used the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data. Analysis involved use of descriptive statistical tools at univariate and bivariate levels while at multivariate level we used ordinary least square and hierarchical regression techniques. Results suggest that the contribution of the fertility behaviour indicators to the variance in wealth status, demonstrated through the R-square change in women and men hierarchical regression models that controlled for selected confounding variables, was almost zero percent (1 %). Although the individual fertility behaviour indicators exhibited some significant association with wealth status, the beta coefficients were visibly small in magnitude compared to the magnitude observed in the unadjusted OLS regression models. Thus, the current data suggest that the role of fertility behaviour in wealth status in Nigeria among women and men is not as important as other social, spatial and economic forces prevailing in the country. The study concludes that we have to seek explanation for the poor wealth situation in Nigeria in other factors other than fertility behaviour.