Background:

Despite many countries of the world with fertility below replacement level, fertility rate in Nigeria remains high with contributing factors associated with high fertility preference and the desire for large families.

Objectives:

This paper explores variations in desired fertility preference among Nigerian women within the reproductive ages 15 to 49. It considers the impact of proximate factors of age, wealth, education, use of contraceptives, and other associated factors on fertility preference.

Methods:

Using Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2018) data, responses of 33924 women with children of 0-60months (birth recode file) were considered. Fertility preference is measured by “ideal no of children”. Responses from the dataset were coded into two groups (desire 1-4 children and desire more than 4 children) based on the implicit Four-child Policy of National Policy on Population for Development, Unity, Progress, and Self-reliance of 1988. We use descriptive statistics, logistic regression and cox proportional regression to identify the size and associating impacts of identified explanatory variables on the two groups.

Results:

Many Nigerian women desire more than four children, with ideal family desire of more than four children higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Wealthy and educated households have lower fertility preferences. Younger women within ages 15-29 tend to desire lower fertility but use fewer contraceptives than middle-aged women 30-49. Only 12% of Nigerian women within the reproductive ages use contraceptives.

Conclusion:

Educating younger women through community-based sensitization programs would reduce the desire for large family size and prevent unintended pregnancy.