Kerala 2005 - of Planning Commission
Kerala 2005 - of Planning Commission
Kerala 2005 - of Planning Commission
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
20<br />
2. Demographic and Health Indicators<br />
2.1 Population Trends<br />
The population <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kerala</strong> is 31.84 million according<br />
to the 2001 Census. In the recent period, <strong>Kerala</strong>’s<br />
population has been growing at a much slower rate<br />
than the population <strong>of</strong> India as a whole, at 0.93 per<br />
cent during 1991-01, which is the lowest among major<br />
Indian States, followed by Tamil Nadu. The decline<br />
in growth rate was contributed to partly by decline<br />
in fertility and partly by net out-migration. <strong>Kerala</strong><br />
has been a net out-migration State from the 1930s,<br />
and the rate <strong>of</strong> net out-migration reached its peak<br />
between 1981-91.<br />
Map 2.1: Distribution <strong>of</strong> Population<br />
and Population Density (2001)<br />
With regard to regional variations, the size <strong>of</strong> the<br />
population was the highest in Malappuram district<br />
(36.3 lakh) followed by Thiruvanthapuram (32.35<br />
lakh), as per the 2001 Census (Table 2.2 and Map 2.1).<br />
The lowest population size was seen in Wayanad district<br />
(7.87 lakh) followed by Idukki district (11.29 lakh).<br />
It is to be noted that these two districts are situated in<br />
the hilly regions (upper land) <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kerala</strong>. Malappuram<br />
district is not only the highest with respect to population<br />
size, but has also experienced rapid population growth<br />
among all districts in <strong>Kerala</strong>. However, the decadal<br />
population growth rate during 1981-1991 in this district<br />
at 28.9 per cent, declined significantly to 17.2 per cent<br />
during 1991-2001. At the other end <strong>of</strong> the spectrum,<br />
Pathanamthitta district recorded the lowest growth rate,<br />
that is a decadal growth rate <strong>of</strong> 3.7 per cent during<br />
1991-2001. It may be noted that the first six districts in<br />
Table 2.2, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta,<br />
Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki, broadly correspond<br />
to the erstwhile Travancore region; Ernakulam and<br />
Trichur to Cochin and the last six districts, Palakkad,<br />
Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and<br />
Kasaragod to the Malabar region. This would be <strong>of</strong><br />
Table 2.1: Population Growth Rate, Sex Ratio and Density <strong>of</strong> Population in <strong>Kerala</strong> and India<br />
Year<br />
Annual Growth Rate<br />
(per cent)<br />
Sex Ratio (females per<br />
1,000 males)<br />
Density<br />
(per sq. km.)<br />
<strong>Kerala</strong> India <strong>Kerala</strong> India <strong>Kerala</strong> India<br />
1961 - - - - - - 1,022 941 435 142<br />
1971 2.33 2.22 1,016 930 549 177<br />
1981 1.76 2.26 1,032 934 654 216<br />
1991 1.31 2.13 1,036 927 749 274<br />
2001 0.93 1.95 1,058 933 819 324<br />
Source: Various Census Reports
Change language