Kerala is a state in south-western India. Most of Kerala's 33.4 million people (as per 2011 census) are ethnically Malayalis (Malayalam speakers). Additional ancestries derive from millennia of trade links across the Arabian Sea, whereby people of Arab, Jewish, Syriac, Portuguese, English, Chinese and other ethnic groups settled in Kerala. Many of these immigrants intermarried with native Malayalam speakers resulting in formation of many Muslim and Christian groups in Kerala.Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature by K. M. George, p2, Google bookCaste, Class and Catholicism in India 1789–1914 by Kenneth Ballhatchet, p2,

Malayalam is Kerala's official language and is spoken by at least 97% of the people of Kerala; the next most common language is English. Tamil is spoken mainly in the districts bordering Tamil Nadu, especially Idukki and Palakkad. Tulu is spoken in the northern parts of Kasaragod district. In addition, Kerala is home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace).. Some 63% of tribals reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are tribals), Palakkad (1.02%), and Idukki (15.66%).. These groups, including the Paniyars, Mooppans, Irulars, Kurumbars, and Mudugars,. speak their own native languages.... 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:

Kerala is home to 2.76% of India's population, and at 859 persons per km2; its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. Kerala's western coastal regions are the most densely settled with population of 2,022 persons per km2, 2.5 times the overall population density of the state, 859 persons per km2, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated. However, Kerala's population growth rate is far lower than the national average, although 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. Kerala's people are most densely settled in the coastal region, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated. Kerala is the second-most urbanised major state in the country with 47.7% urban population according to the 2011 Census of India.

Hinduism is followed by the majority of Keralites (54.7%). The major religions followed in Kerala are Hinduism (54.7% — Hinduism in Kerala), Islam (26.6%) and Christianity (18.4%).

Kerala also had a tiny Jewish population until recently, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.Edna Fernandes, The Last Jews of Kerala, Skyhorse Publishing, 2008 The 2001 Indian census recorded only 51 Jews in Kerala. The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi is the oldest synagogue 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 and the Cheramaan Juma Mosque is considered to be the oldest mosque in the Indian subcontinent which was built by an Islamic missionary Malik Dinar. +Historical populationYearPopulationDecadal growth201133,406,0614.91200131,841,3749.43199129,098,51814.32198125,453,68019.24197121,347,37526.29196116,903,71524.76195113,549,11822.82194111,031,54116.0419319,507,05021.8519217,802,1279.1619117,147,67311.7519016,392,620 –

Population graph of Kerala from 2005 to 20

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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. This central focus – deemed unusual in India – was then maintained after Kerala's post-independence inauguration as a state. Thus, Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India of 93.91% (2011); and life expectancy is now the highest in India. The suicide rates in Kerala are the highest in India. As per the 2011 census, Kerala and Puducherry are the only domiciles 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. It is also one of the states in India to have sub-replacement fertility.

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated Kerala as 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 ageing – indeed, 11.2% of Keralites are age 60 or over.

Kerala's unusual socioeconomic and demographic situation was summarised by author and environmentalist Bill McKibben:.

Expatriation and Emigration As of 2011, a total of 2,280,000 Keralites reside outside India. Largest populations are found in UAE (883,313) and US (68,076).

The major concentrations of expat Keralites are in the following nations: (figures as of 2011) UAE – 883,313 United States – 68,076 (mainly U.S. Citizens) KSA – 574,739 Oman – 195,300 Qatar – 410,000 Kuwait – 127,782 Bahrain – 216,000 United Kingdom – 44,640 Canada – 28,000 Australia – 50,000 Portugal – 2,000 Italy – 25,000 Germany – 10,000

Diversity There are more than 2,500,000 recent migrants living in Kerala, mostly from Assam and West Bengal, constituting more than 8% of the population. There are also migrants from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and the North East.

Studies indicate that by the time of 2026 state elections, migrants will become a crucial voting block in many of the constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur districts.

Lists Urban centres According to 2011 Census of India, Kerala has six 1.5 million-plus urban agglomerations: Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur, all of which has a population of at least 1.5 million. 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.

Thiruvananthapuram is the largest city in Kerala in terms of population

The above table lists Kerala cities in terms of their respective corporation statistics.

According to the 2011 Census, 7 of the top 50 most populous metropolitan areas in India belong to Kerala. They are Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur and Thrissur ranking 17, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27 and 48 respectively.

Most populous urban agglomerations

The following is a list of most populous urban agglomerations in the Kerala state of India. Population statistics indicated are as of 2011 census.

(Note that this is a list of metropolitan (UA) population and does not indicate the corporation populations. Cities in India are officially ranked in terms of these numbers) Rank UA Population (2025) Population (2011) Population (2001) District 1 Kozhikode 6,123,8722,030,519 715,681 Kozhikode 2 Kochi 5,077,670 2,117,990 1,355,972 Ernakulam 3 Kollam 3,074,562 1,110,005 380,091 Kollam 4 Thiruvananthapuram 2,946,119 1,679,754 1,089,635 Thiruvananthapuram 5 Malappuram 2,409,567 1,698,645 170,409 Malappuram 6 Thrissur2,371,675 1,854,783 103,122 Thrissur 7 Kannur 1,812,143 1,642,892 498,207 Kannur 8 Kottayam 1,043,314 357,533 172,878 Kottayam 9 Thalassery 1,038,647 642,892 448,407 Kannur 10 Ponnani 1,033,647 548,892 298,207 Malappuram 11 Cherthala 555,408 455,408 141,558 Alappuzha 12 Kayamkulam 547,091 527,091 68,585 Alappuzha 13 Palakkad 393,566 293,566 283,369 Palakkad 14 Alappuzha 341,072 241,072 282,675 Alappuzha 15 Ottappalam 338,238 238,238 49,242 Palakkad 16 Kanhangad 329,706 229,706 129,367 Kasaragod 17 Kasaragod 292,761 192,761 75,968 Kasaragod 18 Changanassery 227,971 127,971 51,967 Kottayam 19 Chalakkudy 214,901 114,901 48,380 Thrissur 20 Kothamangalam 214,574 114,574 37,173 Ernakulam

Ethnic groups

The vast majority of residents of Kerala are Malayalis, but there are many smaller ethnic groups including Tuluvas, Tamils, Kannadigas, Konkanis and various tribals. 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.

Language

Kerala is the most unilingual state of India in which about 97% of the total population speak Malayalam as their Native language. In addition, there is a significant Tamil population in Idukki district, which accounts for 17.48% of its total population. Tulu and Kannada are spoken in the northern portions of Kasaragod district, each of which account for 8.77% and 4.23% of total population in the district respectively. Konkani speakers are scattered throughout with major concentration in Kochi and Kasargod. Kochi also as a few Gujarati and Kacchhi speakers. There are also various minor tribal languages like Irula, Kuruma, Malavedan, Kanikkaran, Kurichiya, etc., found in the mountainous regions, particularly in Wayanad and Idukki. Dakhini Urdu is spoken In Manjeshwar, Uppala and Kasaragod by the Muslim population.

Religion

Hindus constitute 54.7% of the population of Kerala, followed by Islam with 26.6% population and Christianity at third with 18.4% population as per 2011 census.

+Religious Demographics of Kerala (1901–2011)Photo imgur.com CensusYearHindus Decadal Growth rate (%)Muslims Decadal Growth rate (%)Christians Decadal Growth rate (%) TotalPopulation Decadal Growth rate (%) 1901 4,378,305 68.5% N/A 1,119,473 17.5% N/A 891,767 13.9% N/A 6,389,545 100.0% N/A 1911 4,762,393 66.8% +8.77 1,263,602 17.7% +12.87 1,101,289 15.5% +23.50 7,127,284 100.0% +11.55 1921 5,052,039 64.9% +6.08 1,360,180 17.5% +7.64 1,376,354 17.7% +24.98 7,788,573 100.0% +9.28 1931 6,021,982 63.4% +19.20 1,624,112 17.1% +19.40 1,856,024 19.5% +34.85 9,502,118 100.0% +22.00 1941 6,699,600 61.8% +11.25 1,883,786 17.4% +11.60 2,263,888 20.9% +21.98 10,847,274 100.0% +14.16 1951 8,344,351 61.6% +24.55 2,374,598 17.5% +26.05 2,825,720 20.9% +24.82 13,544,669 100.0% +24.87 1961 10,282,568 60.9% +23.23 3,027,639 17.9% +27.50 3,587,365 21.2% +26.95 16,897,572 100.0% +24.75 1971 12,683,277 59.4% +23.35 4,162,718 19.5% +37.49 4,494,089 21.1% +25.28 21,340,084 100.0% +26.29 1981 14,801,347 58.2% +16.70 5,409,687 21.3% +30.00 5,233,865 20.6% +16.46 25,444,899 100.0% +19.24 1991 16,668,587 57.3% +12.62 6,788,354 23.3% +25.49 5,621,510 19.3% +7.41 29,078,451 100.0% +14.28 2001 17,920,105 56.3% +7.51 7,863,842 24.7% +15.84 6,057,427 19.0% +7.75 31,841,374 100.0% +9.50 2011 18,282,492 54.9% +2.02 8,873,472 26.6% +12.84 6,141,269 18.4% +1.38 33,406,061 100.0% +4.91 Indicates Least growth rate Indicates Most growth rate Source: Census of India (1901–2011)

+Detailed breakdown of religious demographicsReligion 2001% 2011% Hinduism 17,883,44956.16 18,282,49254.73 Islam 7,863,84224.70 8,873,47226.56 Christianity 6,057,42719.02 6,141,26918.38 Buddhism 2,027>0.01 4,7520.01 Jainism 4,5280.01 4,4890.01 Sikhism 2,762>0.01 3,8140.01 Other 2,256>0.01 7,6180.02 Not stated —— 88,1550.26 Total 31,841,374~100 33,406,061~100

Religious demographics of Travancore (1816–1941)