The effect of fertility rate on economic growth in Uganda

Abstract

The relationship between fertility rate and economic growth is an important subject that has remained contentious due to the divergence of results regarding the effect of fertility rate on economic growth. This study provides empirical evidence on the effect of the total fertility rate on economic growth in Uganda using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model from 1990-2021. The findings show that the fertility rate positively and negatively affects economic growth in the short run and long run respectively and conclude that high fertility rates significantly reduce economic growth in Uganda. The study recommends continued government promotion of control measures such as family planning services to reduce the high fertility rate that has negative effects on economic growth in Uganda.