Population Ageing and Demographic Shift in Kerala: Doesn’t the State Need a Tailor-made Policy for Youth?

Abstract

Kerala ranks first in social and demographic indicators in India thanks to its early intervention, performance and improvement in school education and the health sector. It fared much better than the national average and other large states. It became the top Indian state with lower fertility rates and higher life expectancy at birth, resulting in a demographic shift where the relative size of the older people increased, and the young and working-age population decreased. This population ageing, a problematic phenomenon in the world’s advanced economies, will hurt Kerala and negatively affect its socio-economic status in the near future. One of the solutions lies in empowering the youth through a holistic and tailor-made youth policy. This way, the State of Kerala can arrest and manage this negative growth trend and extend its social development excellence for a few more decades.