Demographics of Kerala

Location of Kerala in India

Kerala is a state in south-western India. Most of Kerala's 33.3 million people (in 2011) are of Malayali (Malayalam language speaking) ethnicity. Most of the Malayalam and English speaking Keralites derive their ancestry from Dravidian and Aryan communities that settled in Kerala and intermixed with each other and existing populations.[1][2] Additional ancestries derive from several centuries of contact with non-Indian lands, whereby people of Arab, Jewish, and other ethnicities settled in Kerala. Many of these immigrants intermarried with native Malayalam speakers.[3][4] A tiny amount of Muslims thus take lineage from Arab settlers mixed with local population.

Malayalam is Kerala's official language and is spoken by at least 96% of the people of Kerala as per the 2001 Census; the next most common language is Tamil (1.87%),[5] with Kannada and Konkani having less than one percent. Tamil is spoken mainly by workers from Tamil Nadu and the local Kerala Iyers. Some districts have a significant amount of minority language speakers: Tulu in most parts of the northern district of Kasaragod, adjoining Karnataka and Tamil in Pallakad and Idukki.[5] In addition, Kerala is home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace).[6] Some 63% of tribals reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are tribals), Palakkad (1.02%), and Idukki (15.66%).[7] These groups, including the Irulars, Kurumbars, and Mudugars,[8] speak their own native languages.[9][10][11] Cholanaikkan tribe in the Silent Valley National Park were contacted only in the 1970s and they are the most isolated tribe in the state.

Population

Population density of Kerala
Kerala's districts, shaded by population density.
Source: (GOK 2001).

Kerala is home to 2.76% of India's people, and — at 859 persons per km²;[12] its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. However, Kerala's population growth rate is far lower than the national average. Whereas Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 — adding 15.6 million people to reach a total of 29.1 million residents in 1991 — the population stood at 31.8 million by 2001 and 33.3 million in 2011.[12] Kerala's people are most densely settled in the coastal region, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.[13]

Hinduism is followed by the majority of Keralites (54.7%).Kerala is home to Hindu saints and swamis of all castes. Jagatguru Sree Adi Shankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru, Sree Chattambi Swamikal and Vaikunda Swami were the first among the saints of Kerala. The major religions followed in Kerala are Hinduism (54.7% — Hinduism in Kerala), Islam (26.6%) and Christianity (18.4%).[14] Kerala also had a tiny Jewish population until recently, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.[15] The 2001 Indian census recorded only 51 Jews in Kerala. The synagogue in Kochi is the oldest in the Commonwealth of Nations. The state has many famous Temples, Mosques, and Churches. The oldest church in India is found in Kerala, believed to be established by St. Thomas the disciple of Jesus Christ.

Features

Social development

Kerala ranks highest in India with respect to social development indices such as elimination of poverty, primary education and healthcare. This resulted from significant efforts begun in 1911 by the erstwhile Princely states of Cochin and Travancore to boost healthcare and education among the people and aided by the Christian missionaries. This central focus — unusual in India — was then maintained after Kerala's post-independence inauguration as a state.[16] Thus, Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India of 93.91% (2011);[17] and life expectancy is now the highest in India. However, the same is true of Kerala's unemployment and suicide rates. As per the 2011 census, Kerala and Puducherry are the only states in India with a female-to-male ratio higher than 0.99. The ratio for Kerala is 1.084 — 1084 females per 1000 males — while the national figure is 0.940.[12] It is also the only state in India to have sub-replacement fertility. UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated Kerala the world's first "baby-friendly state" via its "Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative". The state is also known for Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine — this traditional expertise is currently drawing increasing numbers of medical tourists. However, drawbacks to this situation includes the population's steady aging — indeed, 11.2% of Keralites are age 60 or over.[16]

Kerala's unusual socioeconomic and demographic situation was summarized by author and environmentalist Bill McKibben:[18]

Emigration

As of 2011, a total of 2,280,000 Keralites reside outside India. The majority of them are Muslims (45%), although Christians (37.5%) and Hindus (17.5%) are also significant in population. Largest populations are found in UAE (883,313) and USA (680,076).[19]

As of 2011, the major concentrations of expat Keralites are in the following nations:[20]

Diversity

There are more than 3,000,000 migrants living in Kerala,[21] mostly from Assam and West Bengal, constituting about 10 % of the population. There are also migrants from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and the North East.[22] In some places like Perumbavoor they outnumber the locals.[23] Some alarmist have even wrote that "of late, Kerala has been hearing more Bengali than its own local language",[24] which is a huge exaggeration, since there are very few migrants in Northern and Southern Kerala. Most of the migrants tend to concentrate around central Kerala, especially in Kochi (Notable exceptions would be Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. In Kozhikode, northern immigrants constitute more than 8% of the total population, at 35,000).[21]

Studies indicate that by the time of 2016 state elections, migrants will become a crucial voting block in many of the constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur.[25]

Lists

Most populous urban agglomerations

The following is a list of most populous urban agglomerations in the Kerala state of India. Population statistics indicated in this article as of 2001 census.[26][27][28][29] Note that this is a list of metropolitan population and does not indicate the city populations. For that, see List of most populous cities in India.

Rank UA Population (2011) Population (2001) District
1 Kochi 2,117,990 1,355,972 Ernakulam
2 Kozhikode 2,030,519 1,015,681 Kozhikode
3 Thrissur 1,854,782 1030,122 Thrissur
4 Malappuram 1,698,645 170,409 Malappuram
5 Thiruvananthapuram 1,687,406 1,055,024 Thiruvananthapuram
6 Kannur 1,642,892 498,207 kannur
7 Kollam 1,110,005 380,091 Kollam
8 Cherthala 455,408 141,558 Alappuzha
9 Kayamkulam 427,091 68,585 Alappuzha
10 Kottayam 357,533 172,878 Kottayam
11 Palakkad 293,566 283,369 Palakkad
12 Alappuzha 241,072 282,675 Alappuzha
13 Ottappalam 238,238 49,242 Palakkad
14 Kanhangad 229,706 129,367 Kasaragod
15 Kasaragod 192,761 75,968 Kasaragod
16 Changanassery 127,971 51,967 Kottayam
17 Chalakkudy 114,901 48,380 Thrissur
18 Kothamangalam 114,574 37,173 Ernakulam

Class I cities

Kerala has seven million-plus cities: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, Kannur and Alappuzha . Over a third of Keralites live in these large cities (a higher percentage than any other state), and over half the population lives in urban centres.[30]

List of major cities in Kerala
No. City District Population


Thiruvananthapuram

Kochi

Kozhikode



Kollam


Thrissur

1 Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram 752,490
2 Kochi Ernakulam 601,574
3 Kozhikode Kozhikode 432,097
4 Kollam Kollam 349,033
5 Thrissur Thrissur 315,596
6 Alappuzha Alappuzha 174,164
7 Palakkad Palakkad 131,019
Source: 2011 Census of India [31]

According to World Gazetteer[32] population calculation for the year 2011, five of the top 100 most populous metropolitan areas in India belong to Kerala. They are Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur ranking 17, 19, 21, 26 and 27 respectively.

Ethnic groups

The great majority of residents of Kerala are Malayalis, but there are many smaller ethnic groups including Tuluvas, Tamils, Kannadiga. In addition, as of early 2013 there are close to 2.5 million (7.5% of state population) migrant workers from other states of India in Kerala.[33]

Religion/caste communities

Main article: Religion in Kerala
Castes of Kerala[34][35][36][37][38]
Caste Population (%)
Ezhavas 21%
Nairs 12%
Dheevara 3%
Scheduled Castes 9.8% (includes Pulayars- 3.27%)[39]
Scheduled Tribes 1.14%
Brahmins 1%
Muslims 26.56%
Christians 18.38%
Others 3%

The Scheduled Caste (SC) population of Kerala State is 3,123,941 which is 9.8% of overall population. Scheduled Tribes in Kerala with a population of 3.64 lakh constitute 1.14% of the population of state.

Syrian Christians (Including Malankara Orthodox, Jacobite, Syro-Malabar Catholic, Syro-Malankara Catholic, Mar Thoma , ,Chaldean, & few CSI) - 12%[40]
Latin Catholics - 3.50%[40]
Christian Tribals - 1.00%[41]
Nadars - 1.05%[40]
Other Christian - 1.45%[40]
Total Christians: 18.4% [42]

Calden Syrian (paavu m pillerum)=12% Mayukh= only one

Age structure

0-6 years: 3322247 or 9.95% (male 1695935/1626312 female )(2011 census)
7-14 years: 23.9%
15-59 years: 54.3%
60 years and over:11.8%

Median age

Year :1961 1971 1981 1991 2001
Total:19.28 19.39 21.81 24.36 28.87...
Male:
Female:

Population growth rate

4.91% (2001-2011)[43]

Birth rate

17.1 births/1,000 population (1994-2001 est.)

Birth Rate was 17.1 in 1994-2001 (20.3 in 1984-1990 & 25.0 in 1974-1980) . Pathanamthitta (14.5 in 1994-2001, 17.2 in 1984-1990 & NA in 1974-1980) had the lowest TBR and Malappuram(22.4, 29.5 & 33.6) had the highest TBR.

According to the 2011 Census, the Thiruvalla taluk is having the lowest birth rate and the Tirurangadi taluk is having the highest birth rate.[48]

Lowest Birth Rate (2011):

  1. Thiruvalla - 10.63 per 1,000
  2. Mallappally - 10.69 per 1,000
  3. Kozhenchery - 10.86 per 1,000
  4. Chengannur - 10.93 per 1,000
  5. Adoor - 11.09 per 1,000

Highest Birth Rate (2011):

  1. Tirurangadi - 19.99 per 1,000
  2. Ernad - 19.68 per 1,000
  3. Perinthalmanna - 19.43 per 1,000
  4. Tirur - 19.16 per 1,000
  5. Nilambur - 18.34 per 1,000

Vital stats for the year 2011:[47]

Community Pop Births Birth Rate Deaths Death Rate NGR%
Total 33,406,061 560,268 16.77 245,002 7.33 0.94%
Hindu 18,282,492 248,610 13.60 148,097 8.10 0.55%
Muslim 8,873,472 214,099 24.13 45,305 5.11 1.90%
Christian 6,141,269 94,664 15.41 50,365 8.20 0.72%

Death rate

7.0 deaths/1,000 population (2006-10)[49]

Net migration rate

(-)3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1991 est.)

Of the emigrants from Kerala, 42.2% were Muslims, 36.6% were Hindus and 21.2% were Christians in 1992-93. The most preferred destination was USA (37.8%), followed by UAE (25.9%), Other Gulf countries (13.0%), Oman (11.8%), Other Countries (7.5%) and Saudi Arabia(3.8%).

Sex ratio

According to the 2011 census, women outnumber men in all the districts of Kerala with the highest proportion in Kannur and Pathanamthitta districts.

Districts Population Males % Females %
Thiruvananthapuram 3,301,427 1,581,67847.9% 1,719,74952.1%
Kollam 2,635,375 1,246,96847.3% 1,388,40752.7%
Pathanamthitta 1,197,412 561,71646.8% 635,69653.2%
Alappuzha 2,127,789 1,013,14247.6% 1,114,64752.4%
Kottayam 1,974,551 968,28949% 1,006,26251%
Idukki 1,108,974 552,80849.8% 556,16650.2%
Ernakulam 3,282,388 1,619,55749.3% 1,662,83150.7%
Thrissur 3,121,200 1,480,76347.4% 1,640,43752.6%
Palakkad 2,809,934 1,359,47848.4% 1,450,45651.6%
Malappuram 4,112,920 1,960,32847.7% 2,152,59252.3%
Kozhikode 3,086,293 1,470,94247.7% 1,615,35152.3%
Waynad 817,420 401,68449.1% 415,73650.9%
Kannur 2,523,003 1,181,44646.8% 1,341,55753.2%
Kasargod 1,307,375 628,61348.1% 678,76251.9%

Infant mortality rate

Total: 12 deaths/1,000 live births (2011-2012)

Maternal mortality rate

Total: 1.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

76.3 years

Total fertility rate

1.70 children born/woman (2001 Cen)

In 1991, Kerala had the lowest TFR (Children born per women) in the whole of India. Hindus had a TFR of 1.66, Christians had 1.78 and Muslims had 2.97. In 2000, the TFR was 1.73 with Muslims having 2.28, Nairs having a TFR of 1.47 and Syrian Christians having TFR of 1.55. TFR for Scheduled Castes was 1.52 in 1997-98 and 1.37 in 1992-93. The lowest Fertility rate recorded anywhere in India is TFR of 1.17 for Vettuvan caste in Kerala.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Social and cultural history of Kerala by A. Sreedhara Menon p47,p61. Books.google.co.in. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Menon, A. Sreedhara (2007-01-01). A Survey Of Kerala History. DC Books. p. 55. ISBN 9788126415786.
  3. ↑ Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature by K. M. George, p2, ISBN 81-260-0413-4 Google book
  4. ↑ Caste, Class and Catholicism in India 1789-1914 by Kenneth Ballhatchet, p2, ISBN 0-7007-1095-7
  5. 1 2 "Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 50th report (July 2012 to June 2013)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. p. 33. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, p. 10).
  7. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, p. 12).
  8. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, pp. 13–14).
  9. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, pp. 30–32).
  10. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, p. 37).
  11. ↑ (Kalathil 2004, p. 39).
  12. 1 2 3 "Census of India : Provisional Population Totals India : Paper1 : Census 2011". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  13. ↑ (GOK 2005b).
  14. ↑ "Indian Census". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  15. ↑ Edna Fernandes, The Last Jews of Kerala, Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
  16. 1 2 (Varma 2005).
  17. ↑ Archived September 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ↑ (McKibben 2006).
  19. ↑ "Migration From Kerala Growing Steadily, Shows Study". Daijiworld.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  20. ↑ "A Gulf without Keralites could soon be a reality". Emirates 24/7. 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  21. 1 2 Archived January 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ↑ "In Migrants' Own Country". Indian Express. 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  23. ↑ "No Malayalam please, we're Bongs". The Telegraph. Kolkata, India. 10 August 2008.
  24. ↑
  25. ↑ Rakesh, K.M. (20 April 2011). "Missing voters". The Telegraph. Kolkata, India.
  26. ↑ "ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TOWNS AND THEIR POPULATION" (PDF).
  27. ↑ "Population Analysis with list of UAs and their Population" (PDF).
  28. ↑ http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2-vol2/data_files/kerala/Analysis_Census_Data.pdf
  29. ↑ "Analysis of Census Date : 2011" (PDF). Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  30. ↑ "One in 3 Keralites lives in big cities". The Times Of India. 28 October 2011.
  31. ↑ "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011" (PDF). Cities with population greater than or equal to one lakh by size class in the state, 2011. Government of India. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  32. ↑ "India: metropolitan areas". World Gazetteer. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  33. ↑ PTI (2013-02-16). "Migrant worker population in Kerala touches 2.5 m | Business Line". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  34. ↑ "Guess who's after the Hindu vote in Kerala? (Hint: It's not the BJP)".
  35. ↑ "Caste-based organisations NSS, SNDP form Hindu Grand Alliance in Kerala".
  36. ↑ "The communal polarisation of Kerala's voters".
  37. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/dheevara-sabha-calls-for-redefining-minority-status/article3101517.ece
  38. ↑ "Brahmins in India".
  39. ↑ http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_kerala.pdf
  40. 1 2 3 4 C. J. Fuller (March 1976). "Kerala Christians and the Caste System". Man : New Series. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 11: 53–70. doi:10.2307/2800388.
  41. ↑ "KERALA : DATA HIGHLIGHTS : THE SCHEDULED TRIBES : Census of India 2001" (PDF). Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  42. ↑ "The Hindu : Kerala News : Increase in Muslim population in the State". Thehindu.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  43. ↑ "Kerala Census: Child population declines". The Hindu. 6 Jan 2014.
  44. 1 2 "Annual Vital Statistics Report 2007" (PDF). Ecostat.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  45. 1 2 "Annual Vital Statistics Report 2008" (PDF). Ecostat.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  46. 1 2 "Annual Vital Statistics Report 2010" (PDF). Ecostat.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  47. 1 2 3 "Annual Vital Statistics Report 2011" (PDF). Ecostat.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  48. ↑
  49. ↑ "Death statistics – Crude death rate in India". Indiastat.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
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