Nigeria's national averages hide deep inequality for adolescent girls

National data on child marriage and childbearing in Nigeria looks better than it is. The averages hide that girls in certain regions and poor households face much higher risks. This means that programs aimed at helping girls need to be designed for specific local problems, not just for the country as a whole.

For years, development programs have used national statistics to decide where to send aid. This paper shows that a national average can hide the real problems faced by specific groups, making aid less effective. It means that money and effort might go to the wrong places if the data isn't broken down by region and income.