Effects of fertility on children stunting: new empirical evidence from Nigeria

This study applies the Quantity-Quality trade-off theory to examine the impact of fertility on childhood stunting in Nigeria, using data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. To address the potential endogeneity of fertility and unobserved heterogeneity in children’s nutritional outcomes, we employ a two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation strategy. The results indicate that higher fertility is significantly associated with lower height-for-age Z-scores i.e., children’s height in Nigeria. Further disaggregated analysis by age, gender, place of residence, and geopolitical zone reveals that these negative effects
are more pronounced among children aged 6–23 months, female children, those residing in rural areas, and children living in the Northern region of the country. Drawing on these findings, the study proposes policy implications aimed at reducing high fertility rates and mitigating childhood stunting in Nigeria.