Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Kerala See also: List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, Ethnic groups in Kerala, and Racial history of Malabar| Population trend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1951 | 13,549,000 |
|
|
| 1961 | 16,904,000 | 24.8% | |
| 1971 | 21,347,000 | 26.3% | |
| 1981 | 25,454,000 | 19.2% | |
| 1991 | 29,099,000 | 14.3% | |
| 2001 | 31,841,000 | 9.4% | |
| 2011 | 33,388,000 | 4.9% | |
| Source: 2001 & 2011 Censuses of India | |||
Kerala is home to 3.44% of India's population; at 819 persons per km2, its land is nearly three times as densely settled as the rest of India, which is at a population density of 325 persons per km2. In the state, the rate of population growth is India's lowest, and the decadal growth of 9.42% in 2001 is less than half the all-India average of 21.34%. Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 by adding 15.6 million people to reach 29.1 million residents in 1991; the population stood at less than 32 million by 2001. Kerala's coastal regions are the most densely settled, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated. Around 31.8 million Keralites are predominantly of Malayali descent. State's 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis, 1.10% of the population, are concentrated in the east. Malayalam is Kerala's official language, however Tamil is also widely understood. Konkani, Tulu, Konkani, Hindi, Bengali, Mahl and various Adivasi (tribal) languages are also spoken.
Languages of Kerala in 2001
Malayalam (96.74%) Tamil (1.87%) Others (1.39%)Read more about this topic: Kerala