Kerala 2005 - of Planning Commission

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Figure 5.3 shows the age pyramid of the population by level
of education in Kerala for 1991 and 1998. The illiterates are
concentrated in the ages 25 and above. The stock of females
with tertiary education in the younger groups 20-29 is greater
than that for males in 1998. Future potential labour force
will be mostly with middle and above levels of education, as
the stock of primary level education has declined in the age
group 15-19 between 1991 and 1998. Around 70 per cent
of the males and 65 per cent of the females in Kerala attained
'middle level and above' education by 1998. And this
large stock of educated labour force was absorbed (though
inadequately) both in the global and local markets.
To summarise, demographic changes in Kerala seem to have
played a significant role for enhancing human development
and subsequently influencing economic growth and poverty
reduction in Kerala. However, it is also important to mention
that public policy has played a crucial role for improving
education and health, whereas demographic changes could
have been a facilitating factor. Further, changes in the age
structure of the population had an impact on economic growth
through international migration. This is in contrast with East
and South-East Asian countries, where growth in industrial
and service sectors provided employment opportunities for
their rapidly growing working age population (Mason, 2001).