Energy consumption and child health outcomes in Nigeria: an empirical investigation of under-five mortality rate

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between energy consumption and under-five mortality in Nigeria from 1990 to 2024. Annual time-series data were analyzed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds-testing approach and an error correction model. The bounds test confirmed a long-run relationship among the variables. Long-run results indicate that renewable energy consumption, female education, and urbanization have positive and significant relationships with under-five mortality, while electricity access, GDP per capita, and government health expenditure have negative and significant relationships. Non-renewable energy consumption and governance are statistically insignificant. In the short run, electricity access, government health expenditure, female education, and urbanization are negatively associated with under-five mortality. The error correction term of -0.4628 indicates that approximately 46.28% of disequilibrium was corrected each period. The study recommends expanding reliable electricity access, improving healthcare financing, and integrating energy policies with maternal and child healthcare interventions.

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