: The issue of optimal family size, and its
predictors, has dominated almost all socioeconomic
and socio-cultural debates in Ghana, and
rightly so because size of individual families
together determine total population of the country.
The main objective of this study is to determine the
ideal family size desire in the Tamale metropolis.
The study is an analytical cross-sectional design
through primary data analysis of 511 respondents
in the metropolis aged 16 years and above using
well-structured questionnaire to analyse the salient
determinants of the expressed desire family size.
Poisson log-linear model was fitted to select
significant factors affecting family size preferences
among respondents in the metropolitan area.
Overall, sex of respondent, educational attainment,
marriage type, type of accommodation and sex
preference were found to be statistically
significant . Sensitizing people in the
Tamale metropolis on family size preferences and
strengthening family planning policies through
education should be premeditated.