Does Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe have the world’s highest twin birth rate? (And are yams to blame?)

The idea that eating yams increases the chance of twins seems to be backed up by the high twinning rate in parts where the vegetable is popular. But it’s not grounded in solid evidence.

Researched by Africa Check

Social media is full of interesting or quirky “facts” about Africa. Twitter account Africa Facts added one to the mix when it tweeted a claim about twin birth rates and yam consumption.

“Yorubas have the world’s highest twin birthrate [sic] because of their high yam comsumption [sic] rate. Eating yam increases the chances of having twins.”

It’s unclear who runs the Africa Facts account or what they do. Their website simply claims to “provide interesting and useful facts about Africa”.

Africa Check replied to this tweet and asked for a way to get in touch, but there was no response.

Is there any data to back up these claims?

Claim: “Yorubas…