The economic burden of child marriage in Nigeria

Child marriage affects young boys and girls, especially in low and middle income countries, where it represents a dereliction of child rights, duty of care, and the promotion of public health. In Nigeria, child marriage presents a significant challenge, especially for girls, impacting education, health, and national development profoundly. Despite the importance of comprehending the effects of child marriage on health and education and quantifying its economic impact on Nigerian society through these crucial domains, there remains limited knowledge on this matter.

To estimate the economic burden of child marriage to Nigerian society through its impacts on selected health and education outcomes.

This analysis utilized a nationally representative sample of approximately 42,000 Nigerian households from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

Population attributable fractions were calculated to determine the proportion of health consequences attributable to child marriage. Subsequently, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost due to child marriage-related health outcomes were estimated. DALY losses were monetized by assuming one DALY equals the country's per-capita GDP. Additionally, the study investigated the impact of child marriage on girls' educational attainment and its associated reduction in earnings.

42 % of Nigerian women reported child marriage. In 2019, an estimated 3489 girls died from pregnancy and childbirth resulting from child marriage. Nearly 40,000 children under the age of 5 years died in the context of child marriage. Child marriage is linked to various maternal health consequences (e.g., anemia, intimate partner violence, miscarriage/abortion/stillbirth), as well as child health consequences (e.g., overweight, anemia, low birth weight, child mortality). Additionally, child marriage decreases a girl's likelihood of completing secondary or higher education by 22.98 %, while earnings for women who married in childhood in Nigeria today are 12 % lower than what they could have been without child marriage. Failing to address child marriage could cost Nigeria over US$10 billion annually.

There is an urgent need to overcome obstacles and integrate efforts to end child marriage into national budgets to secure a prosperous future for Nigeria.