Pakistan Life Expectancy Dwindles to 65 Years: PBS Survey

Islamabad: Life expectancy or how many years on average a person will live, has slightly decreased to 65 from 65.4 a few years ago.

Other notable indicators calculated by the Pakistan Demographic Survey (PDS) 2020, included the infant mortality rate, total and average fertility rates, crude birth and death rates, and the rate of natural increase.

It has been 13 years since the last poll in a series that began in 1984 and this is the 20th round.

The results for PDS 2020 that are currently available have been compared to pertinent indicators from PDHS 2017–18 and PSLM 2018–19. Most of the indicators from the two polls demonstrate “close proximity”, Chief Statistician Dr Naeemuz Zafar stated in the latest survey.

According to PDS 2020 released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS); while men’s life expectancy increased from 64.3 to 64.5, women’s life expectancy decreased overall. While it decreased for women from 66.5 to 65.5, it remained greater than it was for men.

The life expectancy rose to 71.3 for people aged 1-4, including 70.6 for men and 72 for women.

The ratio of infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births has decreased to 56. In PDHS 2017–18, it was 62; and in PSLM 2018–19, it was 60.

The age-specific data reveals that while the general fertility rate was 124, it was highest in the 25-29 age group at 215, followed by 176 in the 20-24 age group, 164 in the 30-34 age group, and 94 in the 35-39 age group.

The largest increase was likewise seen in this last age group (35–39) when compared to the PDHS figure of 79.

The latest figures revealed that rural areas had a significantly higher general fertility rate (138) compared to urban areas (102).

According to the PDS, the population of the nation has increased from 207.6 million in 2017 to 220.42 million now, consisting of 111.69m men and 108.73m women. Most people still reside in rural areas (139.41m) compared to urban areas (81m).

For the first time data collection was Tablet based i.e. data was collected through Electronic Devices. The PBS Data Processing Center created software for data collecting, real-time monitoring and online editing for this reason. APP