IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

The study examined the dynamic relationship between population growth and economic growth in Nigeria. The study adopts ex-post factor design in order to answer the research questions. The study also employs the inferential method in examining the impact of government revenue on economic growth in Nigeria during the 2000-2018. To this end, the study will use time series data on birth rate (BRT), death rate (DRT), growth rate of urban population (GUP) and gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method was used to estimate the model. The analysis of the results showed that while birth rate (BRT) has positive impact on economic growth, death rate (DRT) and growth rate of urban population (GUP) have negative impact on economic growth in Nigeria. Therefore, it can be concluded that population generally has mixed impact on economic growth in Nigeria. The study recommended that greater efforts must be made to ensure better access to income-earning opportunities within and beyond means of livelihood, and infrastructural facilities should be provided in the rural areas to reduce rural-urban migration which lead to overcrowding in the urban areas