Kerala Migration Survey 2023, Key Findings and Historical Trends

Context

• The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 report was unveiled at the Lok Kerala Sabha in Thiruvananthapuram.
• This was prepared by the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMD) and the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation.

Key Findings of the Kerala Migration Survey 2023 Report

• Number of Emigrants: Estimated at 2.2 million in 2023, slightly up from 2.1 million in 2018.
• Returnees: Increased from 1.2 million in 2018 to 1.8 million in 2023.
• Trends in Emigration
  • Decline in Emigration to Gulf Countries: Preference for non-GCC destinations grew from 10.8% in 2018 to 19.5% in 2023.
  • Rising Student Emigration: Students now constitute 11.3% of emigrants, with numbers almost doubling from 129,763 in 2018 to 250,000 in 2023.
  • Increase in Women Emigrating: Women’s proportion rose from 15.8% in 2018 to 19.1% in 2023, with 71.5% being graduates. Women make up 45.6% of student emigrants and 40.5% of women emigrants are in Western countries.
• Religious Distribution:
  • Muslims: 41.9% of emigrants, while they make up 26% of Kerala’s population.
  • Hindus:2% of emigrants, comprising 54% of the state’s population.
  • Christians: 22.3% of emigrants, representing 18% of the population.
• Remittances:
  • Total Remittances: Surged to Rs 216,893 crores in 2023 from Rs 85,092 crores in 2018, a 154.9% increase.
  • Per Capita Remittance: Rs 61,118 for Kerala’s population of 3.55 crores.
  • Average Remittance per Household: Increased to Rs 2.24 lakh in 2023 from Rs 96,185 in 2018.
  • Utilisation: 15.8% on house/shop renovations, 14% on bank loans, 10% on education, 7.7% on medical bills, and 6.9% on daily expenses.
• Increase in Returnees: Covid-19 job loss (18.4%), low wages (13.8%), poor working conditions (7.5%), illness/accident (11.2%), desire to work in Kerala (16.1%), homesickness (10.2%), and retirement (12.1%).

Historical Trends

• Emigrant Numbers Over Time: From 1.4 million in 1998 to a peak of 2.4 million in 2013, and a slight decline to 2.1 million in 2018.
• Global Malayali Diaspora: Estimated at 5 million, with another 3 million living outside Kerala but within India.

Road Ahead

• Student Emigration: The increasing trend necessitates enhancing educational infrastructure and safe migration pathways.
• Labour Emigration: Improving skills to secure better jobs abroad, potentially shifting focus to non-GCC countries, especially in the West.
• Policy Implications: Need for regular monitoring and regulation of training centres and recruitment agencies to prevent fraud, and developing policies to encourage the return of skilled emigrants for “brain gain”.

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