Economic Determinants of Maternal Mortality in Nigeria: 1980 - 2016

Abstract

The study assessed the economic determinants of Maternal Mortality in Nigeria for the period between1980-2016. It relied on secondary data from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank. The data was subjected to two stage single equation co-integration procedure and the co-integration tests based on error correction model (ECM). The study found that an increase in real wage leads to decrease in maternal mortality rate. Inflation and unemployment rate have positive relationship with maternal mortality rate. But it was found that real wage and unemployment rate contribute significantly to maternal health status in Nigeria and therefore addressing the challenge of low income and high unemployment rate would pay off in terms of reducing maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.