44.7 per cent Muslim families have at least one member abroad

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More people from Muslim households in Kerala opt to migrate abroad. Among migrant families – those having at least one member abroad – Muslims comprise the majority (44.7%) followed by Hindus (38.

2%) and Christians (17%), says a new research on Kerala’s migration and standard of living. Among non-migrant families, Hindu households form the majority (63%) followed by Christian (21.2%) and Muslim (15.

6%) households. Among Muslim households themselves, around 43% have at least one member in a foreign country. The study also showed that a substantial portion of Kerala households without migrants fall below the poverty line (BPL).

Around 42.38% of non-migrant families are in the BPL category, much higher than the state average of 38%. The research, based on the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) 2018 migration study, was carried out by three researchers from the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai - Afsal Kalangadan, Muhammad Thalil, and Reshmi Ramachandran Sukumari.

Published in September, it revolves around “the pivotal role played by international remittances in fostering upward income mobility among migrant households, leading to tangible transformations in their living standards”. It shows marked disparities among households with and without migrants across different dimensions like poverty indicators, housing quality, asset ownership and consumer durables. Almost 95% of the households, irrespective of their migration status.