Income, Income Inequality and Health: Evidence from Nigeria

This study examines the effects of income and income inequality on health in Nigeria in the course of 1980-2014. The study adopts the ARDL Bounds testing approach to investigate the effects of income and income inequality on health in the long- and short-run periods. It was revealed that income has a significant positive relationship with health both in the long run and in the short run, implying that income is a major protecting factor against poor health. On the other hand, income inequality was found to have a significant negative relationship with health in Nigeria, both in the long run and in the short run. Given the attendant impact of income and income inequality on population health, measures and programmes that guarantee adequacy of income and ensure equitable distribution of income should be core components of the economic policies of the Nigerian government.