<p>The demographic transition in Kerala has reached its final stage with low levels of fertility and mortality, comparable to any part of the developing world. The infant mortality rates hovering around 10 to 15 for the last two decades enable the average Keralite to live beyond 72 years at the time of birth—the highest among the Indian states and union territories.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Could Kerala reap benefits from the demographic windows of opportunities? What are the emerging health threats? Is Kerala able to provide pensions and social security for the growing number of elderly? In this context, this book take stock of the demographic situation during the past 50 years and to predict the demographic future for the next 50 years, with focus on three emerging demographic-induced issues which will continue to occupy the debate in Kerala economy and society in the coming decades—migration, unemployment and ageing.</p>

<p><strong>S. Irudaya Rajan</strong> holds a Ph.D in Demography from the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and is currently a Chair Professor of Research Unit on International Migration &nbsp;(set up by the Ministry of Indian Overseas Affairs) at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He has more than two decades of experience of research into demographic issues in Kerala, published extensively, and has contributed seminally to debates on the demographic aspects of the 'Kerala Model' of development in national and international forums. He has worked on issues relating to sex ratio, migration and ageing and has been involved in four major surveys, the Kerala Fertility Survey, the Kerala Migration Survey, Kerala Mental Health Survey and Kerala Ageing Survey. His work has been frequently used in public debate on health, population, sex-selective abortion, and issues of senior persons &nbsp;in Kerala. He is the co-ordinator of Kerala State Development Report prepared for the Planning Commission, Government of India.</p> <p><br /> <strong>K.C. Zachariah</strong> holds a Ph.D in Sociology from &nbsp;the University of Pennsylvania, United States of America, and is currently Honorary Professor at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was a senior demographer at the World Bank, Washington D.C. (1971-1987), the UN Expert on Demography at the Cairo Demographic Centre (1966-1970) and Deputy Director, International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai (1957-1966). He has worked extensively on migration and co-ordinated four large-scale migration surveys (1998, 2003, 2007 and 2008) in Kerala along with Prof. S. Irudaya Rajan.</p>

<p><strong>Sabu Aliyar</strong>, Post Doctoral Fellow, CANADA-HOPE Scholarship, Acadia University, Halifax, Canada.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Manja Bomhoff</strong>, Doctoral Scholar, Leiden University, The Netherlands.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>J. Devika</strong>, Associate Professor at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Prabhu Dass G.</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K.S. James</strong> is Professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Shanthi Johnson</strong>, Professor, Acadia University, Halifax, Canada.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K. Ajithkumar</strong>, Assistant Professor, Trichur Medical College, Trichur, Kerala, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K. Anil Kumar</strong> is Clinical Psychologist at the Ansar Institute of Psychological Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ansar Hospital, Perumbilavu, Trichur, Kerala, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Aju Mathew</strong>, a former intern at Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden), is currently associated with Health Action by People, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Udaya S. Mishra</strong> is Associate Professor at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>E. Mohamed</strong> is Director at the Ansar Institute of Psychological Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ansar Hospital, Perumbilavu, Trichur, Kerala, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>P.M. Saidu Mohammed</strong> is Clinical Psychologist at the Ansar Institute of Psychological Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ansar Hospital, Perumbilavu, Trichur, Kerala, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>K. Navaneetham</strong> is Professor at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Remya Prabha</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mytri Prasad</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Syam Prasad</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Priyajit Samaiyar</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Alice Sebastian</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>C.R. Soman</strong>, Chairman, Health Action by People, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sreerupa</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Rakkee Thimothy</strong> is Doctoral Scholar at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sajan Thomas</strong> is a M.Phil Scholar in Department of Social Anthropology at University of Bergen, Norway.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>M. Vijayanunni</strong> is former Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India and former Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala.</p>