Distribution of the respondents’ characteristics.

The objective of this study was to estimate the urban-rural gap in early maternal discharge following facility-based delivery in Nigeria. A sample of 8614 women aged 15–49 years with national representativeness was extracted and analysed. Multivariate decomposition analysis and concentration index were used to examine the prevalence and urban-rural inequality in early maternal discharge after facility-based vaginal delivery. Approximately 65.6% of rural women and 50.5% of urban dwellers reported early maternal discharge. There was pro-poor distribution of early maternal discharge. The concentration index for rural residence was -0.0817 (SE = 0.0063; p