Kerala's 33.4 million people live at the highest population density in south India, achieve the country's highest literacy rate, and speak Malayalam alongside significant Tamil, Kannada and Tulu minorities.
Kerala had 33,406,061 residents at the 2011 Census of India — the 12th most populous state — living at 860 persons per km², well above the national average of 382. Malayalam is the official language and the mother tongue of about 97 percent of residents; smaller communities speak Tamil (in the border districts), Kannada, Tulu, Konkani and Marathi. Religious composition per the 2011 Census: Hindus 54.7%, Muslims 26.6% and Christians 18.4% — the most religiously balanced state in India. Kerala reports the highest overall literacy rate in India (94.0%, Census 2011; 96.2% per the 2017–18 NSO Household Survey) and the highest female literacy (91.9%). Life expectancy at birth is 75 years — the highest in India — and infant mortality is the lowest at 6 per 1,000 live births (SRS 2020). Kerala's Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.782 (UNDP 2021) is the highest among Indian states. About 47.7% of the population is urban.
- Highest literacy of any Indian state
- Lowest infant mortality in India
- Highest HDI in India
- Balanced religious composition
Key facts
- Population
- 33,406,061
- Source: Census of India · 2011
- Density
- 860 /km²
- Source: Census of India · 2011
- Literacy
- 94.0% (highest in India)
- Source: Census of India · 2011
- Female literacy
- 91.9%
- Source: Census of India · 2011
- Life expectancy
- 75 years
- Source: SRS Life Tables · 2020
- Infant mortality
- 6 per 1,000 live births
- Source: SRS · 2020
- HDI
- 0.782
- Source: UNDP Human Development Report · 2021