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Religious affiliation, education, and fertility in sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Berger, Hoël
  • Dasré, Aurélien

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a weakly secularized region, where religions play an important place in the lives of individuals and communities. In many countries, religious currents are involved in the structuring of educational offer, while the increase in women’s level of education is considered as a major driver of the fertility decline. In this article, we raise the question if and in how far the association between female education and fertility depends on religion. We test this interaction by using Demographic and Health surveys (earliest and most recent available) for a corpus of 23 Sub-Saharan African countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Berger, Hoël & Dasré, Aurélien, 2024. "Religious affiliation, education, and fertility in sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:184:y:2024:i:c:s0305750x24001931
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106723
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    1. Sascha O. Becker & Amma Panin & Steven J. Pfaff & Jared Rubin, 2025. "Religion and Economic Development: Past, Present, and Future," Working Papers 25-01, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.
    2. Sascha O. Becker & Amma Panin & Steven J. Pfaff & Jared Rubin, 2025. "Religion and Economic Development: Past, Present, and Future," Working Papers 25-01, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.

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