Summary:
There is a reduction of 2,78,488 migrants, for the last five years, which is more than one-tenth of the 2013 migrant population,” the report said. Ernakulam had the maximum decrease followed by Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode Kasaragod and Pathanamthitta in the 2013-18 period. However, the growth rate of the return migrants is not as fast as earlier - the report cites the fact that the number of return migrants during 2003-08 period was 2,63,185 people.The total number of non-resident Keralites (NRK = migrants + returned migrants) also came down from 36.52 lakh in 2013 to 34.17 lakh in 2018. The increase in migration was only among Muslims, compared to the other two religions during 2013-18, the data show.While the overall number of emigrants came down, the number of return migrants in the state has increased by 42,325 people, up from 12.52 lakh people in 2013 to 12.95 lakh people in 2018. Eleven out of 14 districts have undergone a negative growth rate at least once in the five-year phase since 2013, the report said.While looking at the Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) data since 1998, the report observed, “Emigration, which was on the rise until 2013, has decreased ever since”..