Universal Education and Fertility: A Nigerian Experiment

Una Okonkwo Osili, Indiana University
Bridget Terry Long, Harvard University

Investments in the education of young girls and women can play a crucial role in the process of economic development. In this paper, we use an unusual policy experiment to study the impact of a large-scale expansion in female education on fertility outcomes. In September 1976, the Nigerian government launched an ambitious Universal Primary Education (UPE) program, which provided free primary education throughout the country, and was funded at the federal-level. Prior to the nationwide program, only two regions in the country had provided free primary schooling. Results from Nigeria suggest that changes in schooling costs can lead to an increase in female schooling and lower fertility outcomes. The improvements in female educational attainment and demographic outcomes appear to be higher among cohorts (and regions) that had higher rates of exposure to free schooling. We consider alternative explanations for results including changes in social norms and attitudes towards female education.