Migration from Kerala is up, but who is leaving the state’s shores?

The study said the number of emigrants from Kerala is estimated to be 2.2 million, closely aligning with the 2.1 million recorded in the KMS 2018. This stability in international migration over the last five years is interesting given the overall declining trend observed over the past decade in the previous rounds of KMS.

The global Malayali diaspora is estimated to be 5 million, whereas the Malayali diaspora outside Kerala but within India is estimated at 3 million.

Although there is a slight increase of 32,388 emigrants in 2023, 9 out of the 14 districts in Kerala observed a considerable decline in the number of emigrants when compared to 2018, indicating a saturation of international migration. Despite expectations of a further decline in this round of KMS, a significant rise in student emigration has substantially contributed to maintaining emigration levels.

The survey said the number of student emigrations has doubled from 129,763 in 2018 to about 250,000 in 2023. “This notable increase in student emigration underscores a significant shift in the demographics of emigrants from Kerala, wherein there has been an increase in the number of emigrants leaving at a very young age, as early as 17 years,” said the report.

The KMS 2023 shows that students constitute 11.3 percent of total emigrants from Kerala, indicating that a growing number of younger individuals are choosing to emigrate, particularly for education abroad.

The proportion of female emigrants increased from 15.8 per cent in 2018 to 19.1 per cent in 2023. Female migration has further seen a shift from GCC countries to Europe and other Western nations as destination countries, accounting for 40.5 per cent.

The number of emigrants who have returned home is estimated to be 1.8 million, a significant increase from 1.2 million in 2018. This increase over the last few years had been expected due to the global health crisis-induced economic disruptions, stricter immigration policies, and a significant reduction in available job opportunities.

According to KMS 2023, the total remittances to Kerala saw a significant surge after the pandemic, touching Rs 2,16,893 crore in 2023 from Rs 85,092 crore in 2018 — a 154.9 per cent increase. While remittances to Kerala have been increasing over the years, the number of households receiving them has declined from 16 percent of households in 2018, to 12 percent in 2023.

North Kerala remains a focal point for migration. North Kerala district Malappuram was the origin of nearly 377,647 emigrants in 2023. With regards to the religious distribution of the emigrants from Kerala, Muslims lead at 41.9 percent, followed by Hindus at 35.2 percent and Christians at 22.3 percent. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries remain the strongest corridor with regard to the destination of migration.

Incidentally, Kollam district surpassed Malappuram this year in terms of household remittances. Kollam received 17.8 per cent compared to Malappuram’s 16.2 per cent. Similar to the previous years, Muslim households continued to receive the highest share of remittances, accounting for 40.1 per cent, followed by Hindu households at 39.1 per cent, and Christian households at 20.8 per cent.

Of the 20,000 households surveyed, 16.2 per cent reported having at least one emigrant — a slight decrease from the 17.3 per cent reported in 2018. However, in 2023, the total number of non-resident Keralites — including both emigrants and return emigrants — is estimated to be 4 million, an increase from 3.41 million recorded in 2018.

Two out of five households in Kerala were found to have non-resident Keralites, indicating the significant presence of migration experiences within the economy and society.

During the KMS 2023 data collection, many homes were found to be locked because entire families had migrated. About 4.2 lakh cases of family migration have been identified as part of the survey.