The Hindu Business Line : Kerala population growth lowest in India: Census

Ms Sheela Thomas, Director of Census Operations, Kerala, said on the occasion that the census puts the State's population at midnight on March 1, 2001, at 3.18 crore. It also reveals that Kerala recorded the lowest population growth rate among Indian States, of 9.4 per cent in the 1991-2001 period, she added.

Kerala is the only State where panchayat- and ward-level census data are available. The final census data on certain parameters including disability, religion and mother tongue will be available in a couple of months, Ms Thomas said. Touching on the highlights of the Census of Kerala 2001, Ms Thomas pointed out that Malappuram is the State's most populous district while Wayanad is the least populous. With 819 persons per sq km, Kerala clocks in at third place with respect to population density.

The average size of households in the State has declined from 5.3 persons in 1991 to 4.7 persons in 2001. Kerala continues to be the only State where females outnumber males, with the State recording 1,058 females per 1,000 males.

The proportion of scheduled castes in the population of Kerala has decreased slightly from 9.92 per cent in 1991 to 9.81 in 2001, the census reveals. The proportion of scheduled tribes in the State's population has, however, increased marginally from 1.1 per cent in 1991 to 1.14 per cent in 2001.

On the literacy front, the census reveals that Kottayam district has the highest proportion of literates — 95.82 per cent. Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts come next with 94.84 per cent and 93.43 per cent, respectively, while Palakkad district has the lowest proportion of literates — 84.35 per cent.

Among the State's five corporations, Thiruvananthapuram is the most populous with a population of over 7.4 lakh. The most populous panchayat in Kerala is Munnar in Idukki district, with a population of 68,205.

Both the final population totals and the primary census abstract of the Census of Kerala 2001 are available on a CD-ROM.