The history of emigration from Kerala can be broadly categorized into six distinct waves, each defined by the changing profiles of emigrants and their shifting destinations over time. The first five waves were explored in Part 1. This blog part 2, focuses on the sixth wave and attempts to draw conclusions about the overall patterns and implications of all six waves.

The sixth wave, the one we are experiencing may be called Student emigration wave. Kerala’s student emigration wave can be traced back to the 1980s, when the state witnessed a surge in demand for engineering and medical education. With the introduction of Entrance Examinations in 1983 for professional courses, access to these sought-after degrees became more competitive. In response, many families began sending their children to neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to secure admission. Although in early 2000, Kerala government permitted the establishment of more engineering and medical colleges, the number of seats remained insufficient to meet the growing demand. What began as an exodus for professional education within India soon expanded overseas, and over time, student migration extended beyond engineering and medicine to include a wide range of academic programmes across the globe.

The true scale of Kerala’s student emigration became starkly evident in late 2019, when the state reported a COVID‑19 case from a university student studying in China, bringing home the reality that young Keralites were pursuing education in unexpected regions beyond the country’s borders.  

Kerala Migration Survey (KMS), started in 1998 is conducted five yearly by the Gulati Institute of Finance Taxation (GIFT) with technical support from the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD). According to the KMS 2023 report, representing data up to 2023, the number of student emigrants from Kerala surged from 129,763 in 2018 to approximately 250,000 in 2023, marking nearly a 100% increase within five years. This nearly doubled outflow underscores a profound demographic shift: young migrants, some as early as 17 years old, now account for11.3% of Kerala’s total emigrants as against 6.2% in 2018.

While states like Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra may send a higher absolute number of students abroad, Kerala stands out with the highest proportion of student emigrants relative to its population, 0.7% compared to the national average of 0.4%, and the highest share of student migration within its overall emigration, 11.3%, nearly double the national average of 5–6%.

Why student emigration?

The issue of student emigration from Kerala has attracted considerable attention, prompting several studies within the state. One such effort was a survey conducted by the Kerala Academy of Sciences between September 2023 and January 2024, which aimed to understand the motives behind this trend.

According to the survey, only 28% of student emigrants expressed plans to return to Kerala, indicating that more than seven out of ten students are not considering coming back. When questioned about their reasons for leaving, the most frequently cited motive (26% of respondents) was the desire for exploration and exposure, surpassing concerns over the quality of education, which ranked second. Notably, the concept of “exposure” often overlaps with seeking freedom, 41% equated it with liberation from restrictions, whether parental or societal. Interestingly, much of this migration appears to be a result of parents enabling their children to break free from these constraints, rather than simply a student-driven pursuit.

Further insights are provided by a 2023 study titled “Youth Migration from Kerala,” carried out among student migrants as part of the Youth Leadership Fellowship (YLF) by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). This research revealed that for 45% of participants, the primary motivation for migration was the prospect of a richer social life and better economic opportunities in their destination. Additionally, the survey shows that a large majority (78%) of female students from Kerala migrate in search of more inclusive societies that promise improved lifestyles and are free from social stigmas and stereotypes.

Situation of Indian Students and International Student Migration in the UK

Enrolment Trends

• Rapid growth until 2023: Indian student enrolment in the UK has spiked in recent years, nine times increase from 2017/18. By the 2023/24 academic year, India had become the top source of new entrants at UK universities, contributing more new students than any other nation.
• Quality concerns and stricter rules: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that “too many young people are being sold a false dream and end up doing a poor-quality course,” and the government has considered restricting student visas for “low-quality” degrees and students’ dependents.

Financial Contribution

• Revenue impact: International students provided about 43% of UK universities’ tuition fee revenue in 2021–22, despite being only 24% of the university students. Non-EU students alone contributed nearly £9 billion in tuition that year, a 90% increase over the previous five years.
• Fee disparity: International students pay considerably higher tuition than domestic students, which is a key reason universities actively recruit them and offer incentives to student recruitment agencies.

Job Market & Post-study Opportunities

• Graduate Route: The UK’s Graduate Route Visa, introduced in July 2021, allows international graduates to remain in the UK for up to two years (and three for PhDs) to work or seek work. This policy was a major factor in the earlier surge of student migration.
• Drop in opportunities: While the job market previously drew many students, recent government data and commentary indicate a tightening of conditions for foreign graduates. New rules have raised salary thresholds for skilled worker visas, reduced eligible roles, and made it harder for care workers and dependents to remain.
• Labour market contraction: Compared to previous decades, job opportunities for international graduates have declined, with stricter policies and a tougher macroeconomic environment making post-study employment more challenging.

Official data on student emigration from India

In March 2025, Member of Parliament E.T. Mohammed Basheer from Malappuram, Kerala, raised a question in the Indian Parliament about the government’s awareness of the increasing number of Indian students falling victim to misrepresentations by agencies promising overseas education and part-time jobs. He specifically sought details regarding the total number of students from India who pursued studies in foreign countries over the last three years, requesting a country-wise breakdown.

According to official data from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of External Affairs, the number of Indian students who disclosed their purpose of travel as “study/education” while going abroad was:

• 750,365 in 2022
• 892,989 in 2023
• 759,064 in 2024

The data, based on a parliamentary response by Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education, provides valuable insights into the current trends in student emigration from India. This shows a drop of 15% in 2024.

Preferences chart

The above chart shows the list of destination countries, based on 2024 figures, also includes percentage changes compared to 2023. These shifts reflect evolving visa policies, tuition costs, and geopolitical relations. The top four destinations continue to be the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia, these countries collectively accounted for almost 72% of Indian students abroad. However, all four saw declines in student inflow: Canada recorded the sharpest drop at 41%, followed by China (32%), the UK (28%), the USA (13%), and Australia (12%).

Conversely, several countries witnessed significant increases in Indian student arrivals. Uzbekistan saw an unexpected 80% surge, followed by New Zealand (70%), Germany (48%), Russia (34%), and France (14%). Other increasingly preferred destinations include Malaysia, Singapore, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Ireland.

Students’ choice of academic disciplines often mirrors global demand and prospects for post-study employment and eventual settlement. Popular fields include Health Care, Medicine, Science, Arts & Fashion, and Business, areas that offer strategic pathways toward long-term career growth and permanent residency in host countries.

Kerala scenario

Student emigration is a global phenomenon, with India now at the forefront in terms of numbers. Among Indian states, Kerala stands out for having the highest rate of student emigration relative to its population size. This trend has numerous far-reaching consequences that require careful consideration.

There are both “push” and “pull” factors at play. On the one hand, students are compelled to leave their home state and country due to various pressures. On the other, they are attracted by the opportunities and favourable environments offered by foreign universities and countries.

Push Factors:
For many students in Kerala, the reasons to leave go well beyond academic ambition. The crisis in the higher education sector—marked by falling quality, outdated curricula, limited research opportunities, and administrative inertia—has made local options less appealing. Many institutions face vacant leadership posts, unfilled seats, and are even discontinuing certain programs. Coupled with this is a challenging economic scenario: Kerala’s unemployment rate (31.8%) is significantly above the national average, while salaries for professionals remain relatively low. These issues contribute to a pervasive sense of stagnation, pushing talented young people to look elsewhere for better prospects.

Social aspirations and lifestyle factors play a major role as well. Today’s students, especially women, cite the desire for greater inclusivity, personal freedom, and escape from traditional social constraints as key motivators. For many, education abroad is not just about a degree—it is a doorway to a higher quality of life, more progressive environments, and, increasingly, the possibility of permanent settlement. The social status attached to emigration has also changed over time: once stigmatized or viewed as a last resort, it is now seen as a mark of ambition and success, particularly as each new wave has brought more positive recognition.

The “neighbourhood effect” significantly amplifies Kerala’s student migration trend. When one member of a community or peer group successfully migrates for education, it often triggers a ripple effect, encouraging friends, relatives, and neighbours to consider similar paths. These peer groups become key networks—actively exchanging practical information on financial requirements, suitable courses, and admissions processes—which makes overseas education appear more achievable and less daunting.

In today’s Kerala, sending children abroad has evolved into a status symbol among the middle class. This aspiration is frequently fueled by educational loans, as families try to keep pace with social expectations.

This wave of student migration has introduced a major outward remittance. For the first time, the Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 estimated annual outward student remittances to be ₹43,378 crore, roughly 20% of total inward remittances. With individual students spending ₹10–20 lakh per year on overseas tuition and living expenses, these outflows threaten to offset some of the economic benefits generated by incoming remittances.

Pull Factors:
Developed countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, and the US actively attract international students with opportunities for global exposure, attractive career prospects, and a better quality of life. These countries, in turn, benefit from migrants who help fill labour shortages and sustain their economies, which has led to policies designed to welcome and integrate international students. However, as numbers surge and targets are exceeded—as recently seen in the UK—some countries are starting to recalibrate these incentives.

The established diaspora and social networks of Keralites abroad further facilitate migration, lowering the psychological and practical barriers for new arrivals. Unlike earlier migration waves, which were often oriented toward temporary work or education, the present cohort demonstrates a strong intent to settle permanently in their host countries.

Kerala Emigration continues: While student emigrants have drawn significant attention, they represent only about 11–12% of Kerala’s total emigrant population; the vast majority—nearly 88%—are non-student emigrants, according to the Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023,

The proportion of female emigrants has grown from 15.8% in 2018 to 19.1% in 2023. Notably, female migration patterns have shifted: whereas in the past most migrated to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, now 40.5% of female emigrants are choosing Europe and other Western nations as destinations—compared to just 14.6% of male emigrants making the same move.

In terms of educational attainment, female emigrants are strikingly more qualified: 71.5% of them have at least a degree-level education, as opposed to only 34.7% among male emigrants.

Overall, Kerala’s non-student emigrant majority is undergoing gradual but significant changes in gender balance, destination preferences, and educational profiles—reflecting both shifting global demand and local societal transformations.

Implications:

The state is undergoing an accelerated demographic transition, with an increasing proportion of its population projected to be aged above 40 years within the next 10 years. By 2026, it is estimated that 20% of Kerala’s population will be aged 60 years or older, significantly higher than the national average of approximately 12%. This rapid aging has direct consequences for various sectors.

This situation has been turned into an opportunity, leading to the rapid growth of senior and retirement homes of various kinds. Hospitals are establishing geriatric departments, and homecare services for the elderly are expanding steadily. Home nursing agencies, in particular, are witnessing demand that far exceeds their capacity to supply.

The emigration of many young adults from Kerala has contributed to a notable decline in fertility rates. With fewer young people remaining in the state, marriage and childbirth are often delayed, and Kerala’s Total Fertility Rate has dropped well below the replacement level, reaching 1.6 in recent years.

While there is much concern about the declining fertility rate among our community, the reality is more subtle. A closer look at micro-level data reveals a different picture. For instance, in over 900-year-old St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish, Changanacherry, in an area comprising nearly 800 families, only 30 children aged 10 to 12 received their First Holy Communion this year. In contrast, during the same period, St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church in Chicago, USA, started in 2001, currently with just about 200* families, had 33 children of the same age group receiving First Holy Communion. This suggests that the Malayalee community is diminishing in Kerala, but rather growing, perhaps in its alloyed form, in diverse corners of the world. *as given in church website

The outflow of Keralites, particularly from the working-age population, has resulted in a shortage of local labor for low-skilled jobs. To fill this gap, Kerala has seen a substantial influx of migrant workers from other Indian states. Projections estimate that by 2030, migrant workers could make up as much as one-sixth of Kerala’s total population.

This is a reality we must acknowledge: we depend on migrant workers to sustain both our daily routines and our developmental activities. As a society, we need them, yet we remain unwilling to fully accept them.

In a survey conducted for a Malayalam daily, an investigator asked a parent, “Why did you send your son abroad for studies?” The parent replied, “Should I let my son stay in Kerala and work like the migrant labourers?” The investigator’s observation is telling. He notes that the parent may not even realise that their son is doing the very same kind of work, that of a migrant labourer, in a foreign country.

Conclusion

Together, these findings underscore the intricate interplay of academic, social, and economic factors shaping migration from Kerala. This phenomenon—especially the emigration of students—is a multifaceted issue that demands examination from multiple angles. It reflects deeper concerns linked to Kerala’s social fabric, economic realities, educational structure, and evolving lifestyles. Despite its urgency, the current discourse in Kerala is often reduced to a cycle of blame: students fault the education system, educators point to a stagnant job market, religious groups criticize political leadership, and women highlight persistent social constraints. What is needed, however, is not finger-pointing but a holistic and coordinated approach to address this critical and growing challenge.

“Human migration—the act of relocating from one place to another—has been a defining force in both human evolution and societal advancement”
Yuval Noah Harari.

Tailpiece: Emigration Vs Immigration
A 10-cent rectangular plot just opposite my house in Changanacherry town was recently put up for sale. The owner, a long time acquaintance, asked if I was interested, but I declined. A few months later, two brothers from Rajasthan, who run a mobile and electronics shop in town, bought the land. One of the houses they planned is already built and occupied. Just a few plots away on the same road, about five years ago, two Gujarati brothers purchased a similar plot and have since constructed two identical houses where they now reside. It’s been some time since traders from north-western states like Rajasthan and Gujarat began setting up businesses in Kerala. Now, they’re choosing to settle here permanently. While many Malayalees continue to emigrate in search of better prospects, these entrepreneurial communities from the deserts of the north see opportunity in Kerala. As we leave ‘God’s Own Country’ for distant lands, often marked by harsh climates and concrete jungles, they arrive here, moving from arid landscapes to settle in the lush green environs we often took for granted and now find of no value.