The Effects of Birth Order on Education and Occupations: Evidence from Cambodia

Research from developed nations has shown that later-born children tend to have worse outcomes in terms of health, nutrition, and education. However, evidence from developing countries remains mixed. In our research, using data on 423,848 individuals in Cambodia, we investigate how birth order affects not only education but also occupational choices in this country. Our estimates show that, compared to firstborn children, later-born children have fewer years of schooling and lower literacy skills, and are less likely to participate in the labour force and more likely to work as unpaid family workers. Conditional on labour force participation, later-born children are less likely to be employed. Our findings reveal huge economic disparities within a household