ABSTRACT
The Kerala Migration Suvey (KMS) 2016 is the seventh in the series of migration surveys conducted by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) since 1998. Over the last two decades, the KMS has provided estimates of emigration, return emigration, out-migration, return out-migration, remittances and average cost of migration. In 1998, the estimated emigrants from Kerala was 1.36 million, increased to 1.84 million in 2003 (absolute increase of 0.48 million during the two survey periods), increased to 2.19 million in 2008 (with decline to the additional increase to 0.35 million in the inter-survey period) and increased to 2.40 million in 2014 (increased of 0.21 million). However, for the first time, KMS 2016 not only estimated the emigrants from Kerala to decline from 2.40 million in 2014 to 2.28 million in 2016 (absolute decline of 0.22 million) but also reach the level of KMS 2011, which estimated the emigrants at 2.28 million. In view of the decline in emigrants, remittances are expected to decline by 10 per cent during 2014–2016.
