Districts of Kerala
Kerala has 14 districts, home to 3.4 Cr people across 38,895 km². Each district below opens its full profile — Census 2011 and NFHS-5 figures, and how it ranks against the rest of Kerala and against India.
- Districts
- 14
- Population
- 3.4 Cr
- WorldPop 2020
- #15 of 36 states
- Area
- 38,895 km²
- #23 of 36 states
- Density
- 872
- per km²
- #9 of 36 states
How Kerala's districts spread
Across Kerala's districts: the middle value, where the state ranks among all states (1 = highest median), and which district is highest and lowest. Medians rather than totals, since most of these are rates that cannot be added up.
Amenities & Infrastructure
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Cooking Fuel2021 | 72.3% | 11 / 31 | Ernakulam88.4% | Idukki54.3% |
| Drinking Water Access2021 | 94.1% | 21 / 31 | Alappuzha98.4% | Idukki82.3% |
| Electricity Access2011 | 94.4% | 6 / 31 | Ernakulam97.4% | Wayanad80.8% |
| Electricity Access2021 | 99.7% | 5 / 31 | Ernakulam100.0% | Wayanad97.0% |
| Improved Sanitation2021 | 99.0% | 1 / 31 | Malappuram99.9% | Thiruvananthapuram95.4% |
| Primary & Community Health Centres2011 | 74.5 | 4 / 30 | Malappuram105 | Wayanad29 |
| Tap Water Access2011 | 25.0% | 23 / 31 | Ernakulam57.2% | Kannur11.7% |
Demography
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth Registration, Under 52021 | 99.3% | 2 / 31 | Kollam100.0% | Alappuzha95.3% |
| Death Registration2021 | 97.4% | 1 / 31 | Alappuzha100.0% | Thiruvananthapuram94.2% |
| Population Under 152021 | 19.1% | 31 / 31 | Malappuram27.0% | Pathanamthitta16.4% |
| Scheduled Caste Population2011 | 2.0 Lakh | 12 / 32 | Palakkad4.0 Lakh | Wayanad32,578 |
| Scheduled Tribe Population2011 | 22,481 | 21 / 32 | Wayanad1.5 Lakh | Alappuzha6,574 |
| Sex Ratio at Birth2021per 1,000 males | 992 | 6 / 31 | Alappuzha1,485 | Thrissur763 |
| Teenage Pregnancy, Age 15–192021 | 2.7% | 27 / 31 | Thiruvananthapuram4.6% | Ernakulam0.0% |
| Women Married Before 182021 | 4.5% | 31 / 31 | Malappuram15.3% | Pathanamthitta0.0% |
| Workers2011 | 8.7 Lakh | 6 / 32 | Ernakulam12 Lakh | Wayanad3.4 Lakh |
Education
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females 6+ Who Ever Attended School2021 | 96.7% | 1 / 31 | Kottayam97.9% | Wayanad88.2% |
| Literacy2011 | 22 Lakh | 2 / 32 | Malappuram33 Lakh | Wayanad6.5 Lakh |
| Pre-Primary Attendance, Age 52021 | 31.9% | 1 / 31 | Alappuzha46.8% | Kasaragod9.6% |
| Women with 10+ Years of Schooling2021 | 79.0% | 1 / 31 | Kottayam85.8% | Palakkad63.2% |
| Women's Literacy2021 | 99.1% | 1 / 31 | Pathanamthitta99.7% | Wayanad93.7% |
Health & Nutrition
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adequate Diet, Children 6–23 Months2021 | 21.4% | 5 / 31 | Pathanamthitta50.1% | Ernakulam11.3% |
| Child Anaemia2021 | 36.6% | 31 / 31 | Palakkad51.9% | Alappuzha30.3% |
| Child Overweight2021 | 3.9% | 13 / 31 | Kollam9.4% | Palakkad1.1% |
| Child Stunting2021 | 22.4% | 30 / 31 | Wayanad31.3% | Kollam15.5% |
| Child Underweight2021 | 19.1% | 26 / 31 | Palakkad27.7% | Pathanamthitta11.2% |
| Child Wasting2021 | 14.4% | 22 / 31 | Palakkad21.7% | Kottayam8.4% |
| Iodized Salt Use2021 | 99.5% | 2 / 31 | Alappuzha99.9% | Kottayam97.4% |
| Women Overweight or Obese, BMI ≥ 252021 | 38.1% | 6 / 31 | Thiruvananthapuram50.6% | Wayanad26.7% |
| Women Underweight, BMI < 18.52021 | 9.9% | 24 / 31 | Alappuzha14.3% | Thiruvananthapuram6.6% |
| Women's Anaemia, 15–492021 | 35.0% | 27 / 31 | Palakkad49.6% | Wayanad26.9% |
Health Coverage
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4+ Antenatal Care Visits2021 | 80.8% | 5 / 31 | Wayanad94.2% | Kottayam55.1% |
| Alcohol Consumption, Age 15+2021 | 11.3% | 21 / 31 | Alappuzha13.9% | Malappuram3.8% |
| Breast Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 2.2% | 3 / 31 | Thiruvananthapuram6.8% | Malappuram0.4% |
| Caesarean Delivery Rate2021 | 43.0% | 3 / 31 | Pathanamthitta57.6% | Malappuram25.5% |
| Cervical Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 3.3% | 4 / 31 | Pathanamthitta7.7% | Malappuram1.4% |
| Elevated Blood Pressure2021 | 33.0% | 2 / 31 | Pathanamthitta42.0% | Kasaragod26.1% |
| Full Immunization2021 | 82.6% | 11 / 30 | Kasaragod92.5% | Palakkad51.8% |
| Health Insurance Coverage2021 | 51.7% | 12 / 31 | Wayanad64.8% | Malappuram42.8% |
| Institutional Births2021 | 100.0% | 1 / 31 | Idukki100.0% | Kottayam98.7% |
| Menstrual Hygiene, Age 15–242021 | 94.0% | 6 / 31 | Kollam99.4% | Wayanad84.9% |
| Modern Contraceptive Use2021 | 55.6% | 16 / 31 | Wayanad69.5% | Thiruvananthapuram38.5% |
| Oral Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 0.6% | 7 / 31 | Kottayam1.5% | Malappuram0.0% |
| Out-of-Pocket Cost per Public-Facility Delivery2021Rs. | 5,533.5 | 6 / 31 | Kollam6,836 | Kasaragod3,778 |
| Tobacco Use, Age 15+2021 | 9.7% | 29 / 31 | Wayanad18.2% | Kozhikode5.8% |
| Unmet Need for Family Planning2021 | 12.1% | 6 / 31 | Thiruvananthapuram19.3% | Wayanad5.6% |
| Very High Blood Sugar, >160 mg/dl2021 | 12.4% | 1 / 31 | Pathanamthitta19.1% | Wayanad8.2% |
Population & Density
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population2011 | 26 Lakh | 5 / 32 | Malappuram41 Lakh | Wayanad8.2 Lakh |
| Population2020 | 25 Lakh | 5 / 32 | Malappuram43 Lakh | Wayanad8.3 Lakh |
| Population Density2011/km² | 964 | 6 / 32 | Alappuzha1,512 | Idukki255 |
| Population Density2020/km² | 940 | 7 / 32 | Alappuzha1,487 | Idukki253 |
Railway
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Nearest Railway Stationkm | 14.729 | 12 / 32 | Wayanad50.906 | Palakkad0.663 |
| Railway Line Densitykm per 100 km² | 2.823 | 13 / 32 | Alappuzha8.489 | Wayanad0 |
| Railway Line Kilometreskm | 77.019 | 15 / 32 | Palakkad162.169 | Wayanad0 |
| Railway Line Km per Million Peoplekm per million | 24.705 | 19 / 32 | Kasaragod63.925 | Idukki0 |
| Railway Station Densityper 1,000 km² | 5.268 | 5 / 32 | Alappuzha14.296 | Idukki0 |
| Railway Stations | 14.5 | 6 / 32 | Kollam26 | Wayanad0 |
| Railway Stations per Million Peopleper million | 5.33 | 17 / 32 | Kollam9.866 | Idukki0 |
| Railway Under Constructionkm | 0 | 7 / 32 | Ernakulam13.574 | Kozhikode0 |
Roads
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four-Lane Highway Share | 40.7% | 16 / 26 | Kasaragod81.3% | Wayanad0.0% |
| Four-Lane-or-Wider Highway Lengthkm | 48.236 | 7 / 32 | Malappuram82.237 | Wayanad0 |
| Highway Length With a Recorded Lane Countkm | 122.914 | 7 / 32 | Idukki250.507 | Wayanad60.154 |
| National Highway Densitykm per 100 km² | 4.208 | 21 / 32 | Alappuzha8.792 | Palakkad2.631 |
| National Highway Lengthkm | 122.934 | 16 / 32 | Idukki250.507 | Wayanad60.154 |
| National Highway Under Construction or Proposedkm | 0 | 3 / 32 | Kasaragod18.47 | Kozhikode0 |
All districts
| District | Population 2020 | Area | Literacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alappuzha | 21 Lakh | 1,399 km² | 87.1% |
| Ernakulam | 34 Lakh | 3,044 km² | 87.0% |
| Idukki | 11 Lakh | 4,348 km² | 83.2% |
| Kannur | 26 Lakh | 2,961 km² | 84.8% |
| Kasaragod | 13 Lakh | 1,994 km² | 79.4% |
| Kollam | 24 Lakh | 2,500 km² | 85.0% |
| Kottayam | 20 Lakh | 2,210 km² | 88.6% |
| Kozhikode | 33 Lakh | 2,364 km² | 84.7% |
| Malappuram | 43 Lakh | 3,566 km² | 80.5% |
| Palakkad | 29 Lakh | 4,493 km² | 79.7% |
| Pathanamthitta | 13 Lakh | 2,639 km² | 88.7% |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 32 Lakh | 2,215 km² | 84.4% |
| Thrissur | 32 Lakh | 3,017 km² | 85.8% |
| Wayanad | 8.3 Lakh | 2,145 km² | 79.0% |
Compare Kerala's districts on a map, add layers and run a scatter — open the atlas, or browse every district in India or all states. For the long read, see the Kerala state report.