A Theoretical Framework for the Sociology of Demographic Data Production in Nigeria

The social processes through which demographic data are produced, validated, and used in Nigeria are shaped by institutional power, political economy, and epistemic norms that profoundly affect data quality and policy relevance, yet these processes have not been theorised within a sociological framework for Nigerian contexts. This study developed an original sociological framework for the production of demographic data in Nigeria. A critical social science methodology was employed, combining systematic review of science and technology studies and official statistics sociology literature (58 publications from 2018 to 2024), structured ethnographic-style interviews with 45 statistical practitioners at NBS, NPopC, NDHS contractors, and state statistics bureaux, and documentary analysis of statistical production guidelines. The interviews revealed four sociological dynamics not captured in standard official statistics governance frameworks: political interference in census planning and enumeration, patronage networks influencing field data collection quality, epistemic hierarchies privileging foreign methodology over locally adapted approaches, and the marginalisation of state statistics bureaux in national data production decisions. The original Sociology of Nigerian Demographic Data Production Framework proposes four analytical constructs: political economy of data production, institutional hierarchy and knowledge power, practitioner agency within structural constraints, and data-policy translation practices. Each construct includes theoretical propositions and empirically testable indicators. Expert review by 18 sociology of statistics and demography scholars confirmed the framework's original theoretical contribution to both African demography and science and technology studies.

Keywords: sociology of statistics, demographic data production, Nigeria, official statistics, critical demography