ABSTRACT

The study investigated the impact ofpopulation growth and unemployment in Nigeria spanning from 1981 to 2018. The objectives ofthe study were to evaluate the impact ofpopulation growth on unemployment rate in Nigeria and to ascertain the long run relationship between population growth and unemployment rate in Nigeria, the study employed the Johansen Co-Integration Test and error correction mechanism thus revealed that; population growth has a positive and significant impact on unemployment rate in Nigeria, government expenditure has a negative but insignificant impact on unemployment rate in Nigeria, fertility rate has a positive and significant impact on unemployment rate in Nigeria, crude death rate has a negative and significant impact on unemployment rate in Nigeria and there exist a long run relationship between population growth and unemployment rate in Nigeria. Based on thefinding, we recommended that; average population growth rate ofNigeria should be maintained since it isfound to impact significantly on unemploymentrate in Nigeria within theperiodofstudy. The average rate offertility in Nigeria should be maintainedsince it isfound to impactpositively on unemployment rate within the period under study. The government should be adopt measures to check the crude death rate ofNigeria as it affects economic growth negatively. The government should spend more on capital projects, this will reduce unemployment rate in Nigeria.