Migration and fertility behavior in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Ghana

While there are many individual studies on migration and fertility in sub-Saharan Africa, the systematic interaction between them have been less studied at the national level. Since fertility and migration are generally thought to be affected by similar factors, understanding their inter-connectedness may provide insights into analyzing fertility response to social and economic change. Using merged data from the 1994 and 1998 Demographic and Health Surveys for Ghana, this paper examines the impact of migration on fertility. Guided by the adaptation, selectivity and disruption theses, the results reveal considerable migrant differences in fertility. In general, migrants moving from urban to rural areas were found to have fertility similar to rural residents while those from rural to urban areas tended to have fertility similar to urban natives. There was also evidence that recent migrants, regardless of stream, had lower fertility than their long term counterparts. These findings are discussed within the adaptation, selectivity and disruption theses.