By Newsgram Staff Writer

Kerala is all set to achieve "zero population growth" in the coming years, with the state registering lowest growth rate of population in the last one decade.

According to the latest Economic Review by the State Planning Board, in the last 10 years the growth rate of state population is 4.9 per cent, while the national rate of growth of population is 17.6 per cent. Kerala records the lowest growth rate among the Indian states.

The Review for the year 2014 placed in the just concluded Assembly session, said, "The population growth trend shows that Kerala is moving towards zero population growth or towards negative growth."

The state population as on March 2011 was 3,34,06,061, which was 3,18,41,374 in 2001, quoted the final data published by the Directorate of Census. Of the total state population, 1,60,27,412 (48 per cent) are males and 1,73,78,649 (52 per cent) are females, it said.

Six southern districts – Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram – have very low growth rate.

The southern districts in Kerala show two per cent decline except Kollam, while the northern districts show one per cent decline except Wayanad which has a decline of two per cent.

However, the state's density of population is much higher than that of the country. As per the figures of 2011 Census, the density of population in the state is 860 persons per square kilometre which is 382 at the national level.