By our Financial correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram, June 17 (IVC) The total remittance from the migrants touched to a record amount of Rs 2,16,893 crore in 2023 as against Rs 85,092 crore in 2018, marking an increase of 54.9 per cent , strengthening and stabilizing Kerala’s economy , according to the findings of the kerala migration survey (KMS) 2023.
KMS 2023 was conducted by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT) with technical support from the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD).
The survey report released here on June 14 by S Irudaya Rajan , Chairman IIMAD and he said that about 4.2 lakh ( 0.4 million) cases of family migration have been identified.
During the data collection, many homes were found to be locked with entire families were being migrated. Kerala also holds a steady 21 per cent share of the India’s NRI deposits , a figure that has remained consistent since 2019, Mr Rajan said while releasing the report.
The global Malayali diaspora isnow estimated to be 5 million, whereas the Malayali diaspora outside kerala witin India, is estimated at three million.
Among the general migration trends, there is only a slight increase of 32,388 emigrants in 2023. However nine out of the 14 districts in Kerala observed a decline in the number of emigrants when compared to 2018 indicating a saturation of international migration, the survey revealed.
The North Kerala continues to dominate in the migration with Malappuram leading in the table with 3,77,647 emigrants. With regard to the religious distribution, Muslims accounts for 41.9 per cent of the total emigrants, followed by Hindus 35.2 per cent and Christians at 22.3 per cent.
The United Arab Emeritus (UAE) continues to retain the prime choice for emigrants from Kerala in 2023. However, there has been a decline in the number of emigrants choosing GCC countries from 89.2 per cent in 2018 to 80.5 per cent in 2018.
The number emigrants preferring non-GCC countries increased from 10.8 per cent in 2018 to 19.5 per cent in 2023.
The number of emigrants who have returned home is also estimated to be 1.8 million , a significant increase from 1.2 million in 2018
The increase over the last few years had been expected due to the global health crisis-induced economic disruptions, stricter immigration policies and a significant reduction in available job opportunities. The KMS also estimated a total of 0.5 million out-migrants from Kerala, Rajan added.
