Demographics of Kerala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article relates to Demographics of Kerala state, south India.
| Population density of Kerala | |
 |
|
| Source: (GOK 2001). | |
Most of Kerala's 3.18 crore (31.8 million) people are of Malayali ethnicity. Malayalis in turn number among southern India's Dravidian community, with traces of ancestry derived from various waves of Aryan invaders and settlers from northern India. Additional ancestries derive from several centuries of contact with non-Indian lands, whereby thousands of people of Arab, Jewish, Portuguese, Dutch, British, and other non-Dravidian ethnicities settled in Kerala. Many of these immigrants intermarried with native Malayalis. Nevertheless, Malayalam is Kerala's official language and is spoken by the vast majority of Keralites; the next most common language is Tamil, spoken mainly by Tamil laborers from Tamil Nadu. Kannada is spoken in some parts northern districts of Kasargod, adjoining Karnataka. In addition, Kerala is home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace).[1] Some 63% of Adivasis reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are Adivasi), Palakkad (11.05%), and Idukki (15.66%).[2] These groups, including the Irulars, Kurumbars, and Mudugars,[3] speak their own native languages and experience hardships such as racial discrimination, economic exploitation, and poverty.[4][5][6]. Cholanaikkan tribe in Silent Valley Natonal Park were contacted only in 1970s and they are the most isolated tribe.
Kerala is home to 3.44% of India's people, and — at 819 persons per km² — 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 156 lakh (15.6 million) people to reach a total of 291 lakh (29.1 million) residents in 1991 — the population stood at less than 320 lakh (32 million) by 2001. Kerala's people are most densely settled in the coastal region, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.[7]
| Religion in Kerala | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 56.16% | |||
| Christianity | 19.02% | |||
| Islam | 24.70% | |||
| Other | 0.2% | |||
| Population of Kerala by religion. | ||||
The major religions followed in Kerala are Hinduism (56.16% — predominantly Ezhavas and Nairs), Islam (24.70% — Keralite Muslims from northern part of the state are also known as Mappilas), and Christianity (19.0%).[8] Kerala also had a tiny Jewish population until recently, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The state has many famous temples, churches, and mosques. The synagogue in Kochi is the oldest in the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2001 Indian census recorded only 51 Jews in Kerala. Importantly, Kerala has one of the most secular (non-sectarian) populations in India. Nevertheless, there have been signs of increasing disruptive influences from religious extremist organisations.
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 Cochin and Travancore states to boost healthcare and education among their ordinary people. This cental focus — unusual in India — was then maintained after Kerala's post-independence inauguration as a state.[9] Thus, Kerala's literacy rate — 90.92% — and life expectancy are now the highest in India. However, the same is true of Kerala's unemployment and suicide rates. As per the 2001 census, Kerala is the only state in India with a female-to-male ratio higher than 0.99. The ratio for Kerala is 1.058 — 1058 females per 1000 males — while the national figure is 0.933.[10] 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.[9]
Kerala's unusual socioeconomic and demographic situation was summarized by author and environmentalist Bill McKibben:[11]
-
Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place that offers real hope for the future of the Third World. Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than Maryland, has a population as big as California's and a per capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and its birthrate below America's and falling faster. Kerala's citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala stands out as the Mount Everest of social development; there's truly no place like it.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, p. 10).
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, p. 12).
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, pp. 13-14).
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, pp. 30-32).
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, p. 37).
- ^ (Kalathil 2004, p. 39).
- ^ (GOK 2005b).
- ^ "Kerala_census 2001">[1]
- ^ a b (Varma 2005).
- ^ (UNDP 2001, p. 1).
- ^ a b (McKibben 2006).
