High Twin Birth Rate in Nigerian Town Sparks Scientific and Cultural Interest

Igbo-Ora, a city in southwestern Nigeria with nearly 200,000 residents, has an exceptionally high rate of dizygotic twin births, estimated at 45 per 1,000 compared to a global average of 12 per 1,000. This phenomenon, studied since the 1970s, lacks a definitive scientific explanation, though a 2020 PLOS One study linked it to genetic traits in Yoruba and Hausa ethnic groups and possible epigenetic factors. The city celebrates this identity with an annual twin festival started in 2018 and a statue of a mother with twins. Cultural beliefs among the Yoruba people view twins as divine blessings, reflected in traditions like carved wooden ìbejì figures. While local dietary habits, such as consumption of yam and okra soup, are thought to influence twin rates, research has not confirmed direct causation.