It was 1.95 in 2014 and thanks to persistent improvement in health and education indicators along with effective population welfare programmes, population growth ratio has seen downward trend.
Official data issued by Population Division showed on Monday that population growth and development are interlinked with each other as economic development produces resources in the country that can be used to improve education and health.
These improvements, along with associated social changes, reduce both fertility and mortality rates while on other hand, high population growth creates hurdle for bringing improvements in education and health.
With regard to life expectancy, the data showed that it is an important indicator that is often used to measure health of population.
It measures quantity rather than quality of life and therefore, reflects overall trend in mortality of population.
Average life of individuals increases due to healthcare improvements like the introduction of vaccines, the development of drugs or behavior changes like the reduction in smoking, improvement in nutrition, hygiene and medical care.
In Pakistan, average life for both male and female has improved on account of governments' efforts to handle health issues effectively. The average life expectancy of males has increased from 64.9 year in 2014 to and reached 65.5 years in 2016 whereas female's life expectancy rate also improved from 66.9 years in 2014 to 67.3 in 2015 and 67.7 years in 2016.