According to Shomos (2010), the country has been experiencing rising economic growth, as well as a rising working-age population that is illiterate. This has caused a problem in the Indian labor market, in that the general educational level of the labor force that lies between ages of 15 and 59 years is very low. In 2010, India had a working population of 431 million people out of which 29% were illiterate. Also, about 24% possessed an education below primary or only primary education and only about 17% had a secondary and higher education. Ramachandran and Chatterjee (2013, p. 32) stated that while India is the second most populated country in the world, with a current population of about 1.21 billion with an average population growth rate of 1.41%, this is a clear indication that this population will increase more with time. When looking at the age structure, people who are 15-64 years old make up 65% of India's population and only 30% being under 15 years of age. This clearly indicates that India is composed of a rather young population. As per the 2011 census, literacy levels stand at around 74.04% and this is a significant progress from the 14.5% rate at the time of India’s independence in 1947, though the census still reveals that the adult literacy rate in India was more than 11% lower than the average World Adult Literacy Rate of 84% (Census of India, 2011c, p.101). Despite major reforms and programs intended to develop the education system, India is still struggling with low rates of illiteracy, especially in the country’s rural parts.
Different states have been experiencing different rates of increase in literacy levels, although with very high disparities caused by the different classes of the Indian society. For instance, Kerala and Mizoram states are above the national average at 82.14%, while others like Bihar have a literacy level of about 65.46%