Examining the Research Gap in Population Ageing and Intergenerational Wealth Transfer in Nigeria

Population ageing will accelerate in Nigeria during the coming decades, and the demographic consequences for wealth transfer, pension economics, and family support systems have received minimal academic attention in the Nigerian social statistics literature. This study examined the research gap in population ageing and intergenerational wealth transfer through systematic review and original descriptive analysis. A systematic scoping review of ten databases identified only 9 publications from 2018 to 2024 specifically addressing wealth transfers between generations in Nigerian demographic contexts, versus a large global literature. Original descriptive analysis using NBS Nigeria Living Standards Survey 2019 data examined wealth accumulation by age cohort, inter-household transfer patterns, and pension coverage rates. Household wealth peaked in the 45 to 54 age cohort and declined sharply after age 65, consistent with decumulation and transfer behaviour. Inter-household financial transfers to elderly parents were reported by 48.6 percent of households with a surviving parent. Only 6.4 percent of adults over 60 reported formal pension receipt, confirming family-based old-age support as dominant. The gender dimension showed widows significantly less likely to receive adequate family financial support than widowers. The study identifies four priority research questions including the impact of emigration on filial support for elderly parents and the economics of land inheritance in ageing rural northern communities. A longitudinal survey design for studying Nigerian intergenerational transfers is proposed.

Keywords: population ageing, intergenerational wealth transfer, pension, Nigeria, old-age support