Finding 4 of 7 Migration intent
Two in three are planning their exit
Migration is now the baseline expectation rather than the exception, and money alone does not reverse it.
67.7% പേർ കേരളം വിട്ടുപോകാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു. അതിൽ 50.4% പേരുടെ കാരണം കുറഞ്ഞ ശമ്പളമാണ്. 74.8% പേർ സമ്പാദിച്ച ശേഷം തിരിച്ചുവരാൻ ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ 35,000 രൂപ ശമ്പളം കിട്ടിയാലും 30.7% പേർ പോകുമെന്ന് പറയുന്നു.
67.7% of respondents intend to migrate out of Kerala. Among them, 50.4% cite low entry-level salaries as the main driver, 74.8% expect to return after earning enough — and 30.7% would still leave even at a ₹35,000 monthly entry salary.
Migration is the default, not the exception#
Two in three respondents (67.7%) are interested in or actively planning to leave Kerala for study or work. Only 32.3% intend to build a career inside the state.
Among the migration-interested group, 32.2% say they will definitely move within 24 months, 41.5% are undecided on timing, and 26.3% now say they will stay. The undecided plurality is the group policy can still reach; the 32.2% are effectively already gone.
It is an economic decision first#
50.4% name low entry-level salaries and the absence of major industries as the primary driver. 30.4% cite better education and research abroad. 15.2% cite moral policing and lack of lifestyle freedom — significant, but a distant third and easy to over-read in commentary.
45.9% describe the decision as entirely their own; 26.3% attribute it to parental and family expectation, 17.4% to peers already abroad, and 10.4% to social media and migration agencies. This is not primarily an agency-marketed aspiration.
Money moves the number, but not all of it#
Offered a hypothetical ₹35,000 monthly entry salary in their field, 52.6% of migration-interested respondents say they would confidently stay. 30.7% would still migrate for a better global lifestyle, and 16.7% are undecided.
Read carefully, this is a two-part result. A salary floor converts roughly half of intended migration — a large effect that supports wage-led retention policy. But roughly a third is buying something salary does not sell: institutions, infrastructure, mobility, social latitude. Retention strategy that treats migration as purely a pay problem will hit a ceiling around the halfway mark.
Return intent stays remarkably high#
74.8% of the migration-interested group intend to come back and settle in Kerala after earning enough. Only 11.1% want to settle abroad permanently. Kerala's outflow, at least in stated intent, remains a remittance-and-return cycle rather than a permanent loss — which makes the terms of return, not the fact of departure, the thing worth designing for.
Figures & data tables#
Every figure below is generated from the primary response counts, with the full response table and an embed snippet attached.
Are you personally interested in or planning to migrate outside of Kerala for studies or a career?
നിങ്ങളുടെ പഠനത്തിനായോ കരിയറിനായോ കേരളത്തിന് പുറത്തേക്ക് (വിദേശത്തോ മറ്റ് സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിലോ) കുടിയേറാൻ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് താല്പര്യമുണ്ടോ അതോ പ്ലാൻ ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ടോ?
അതെ, എനിക്ക് താല്പര്യമുണ്ട് / പ്ലാൻ ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്
ഇല്ല, കേരളത്തിൽ തന്നെ തുടർന്ന് കരിയർ കെട്ടിപ്പടുക്കാനാണ് ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നത്
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, I am interested / planning to migrate | 270 | 67.7% |
| No, I intend to stay and build my career inside Kerala | 129 | 32.3% |
| Total answered | 399 | 100% |
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<iframe src="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/embed/migration-interest" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px" title="Are you personally interested in or planning to migrate outside of Kerala for studies or a career? — Moyan Journal"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Are you actively planning to migrate outside of Kerala within the next 24 months?
അടുത്ത 24 മാസത്തിനുള്ളിൽ നിങ്ങൾ കേരളത്തിന് പുറത്തേക്ക് കുടിയേറാൻ പ്ലാൻ ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ടോ?
തീരുമാനിച്ചിട്ടില്ല
അതെ, തീർച്ചയായും
ഇല്ല, കേരളത്തിൽ തന്നെ തുടരും
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Undecided | 112 | 41.5% |
| Yes, definitely | 87 | 32.2% |
| No, I intend to stay in Kerala | 71 | 26.3% |
| Total answered | 270 | 100% |
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<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>What is the primary driving factor behind your desire to leave Kerala?
കേരളം വിട്ടുപോകാൻ നിങ്ങളെ പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന പ്രധാന കാരണം എന്താണ്?
കുറഞ്ഞ ശമ്പളവും വൻകിട വ്യവസായങ്ങളുടെ അഭാവവും
വിദേശത്തെ മികച്ച വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ നിലവാരവും സൗകര്യങ്ങളും
അമിതമായ സാമൂഹിക നിയന്ത്രണങ്ങളും വ്യക്തിസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യക്കുറവും
എനിക്ക് കേരളം വിട്ടുപോകാൻ താല്പര്യമില്ല
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Low entry-level salaries and lack of major industries | 136 | 50.4% |
| Superior quality of education and research abroad | 82 | 30.4% |
| High moral policing and lack of lifestyle freedom | 41 | 15.2% |
| I do not want to leave Kerala | 11 | 4.1% |
| Total answered | 270 | 100% |
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<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Who or what has influenced your migration aspirations the most?
കുടിയേറാനുള്ള നിങ്ങളുടെ ആഗ്രഹത്തെ ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ സ്വാധീനിച്ചത് ആരാണ്/എന്താണ്?
പൂർണ്ണമായും എന്റെ സ്വന്തം തീരുമാനം
മാതാപിതാക്കളുടെയും കുടുംബത്തിന്റെയും പ്രതീക്ഷകൾ
സുഹൃത്തുക്കളും മറ്റുള്ളവരും വിദേശത്ത് പോകുന്നത് കാണുന്നത് വഴി
സോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയയും കുടിയേറ്റ ഏജൻസികളും
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Entirely my own independent choice | 124 | 45.9% |
| Parental and family expectations | 71 | 26.3% |
| Peer groups and seeing friends move abroad | 47 | 17.4% |
| Social media content and migration agencies | 28 | 10.4% |
| Total answered | 270 | 100% |
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<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>If you migrate abroad, do you intend to return and permanently settle down in Kerala in the future?
നിങ്ങൾ വിദേശത്തേക്ക് പോയാൽ ഭാവിയിൽ കേരളത്തിലേക്ക് മടങ്ങിവന്ന് സ്ഥിരതാമസമാക്കാൻ ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നുണ്ടോ?
അതെ, ആവശ്യത്തിന് സമ്പാദിച്ച ശേഷം
ഇല്ല, അവിടെ സ്ഥിരമായി താമസമാക്കും
എനിക്ക് കുടിയേറാൻ പ്ലാനില്ല
റിട്ടയർമെന്റിന് ശേഷം മാത്രം
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, after earning enough wealth | 202 | 74.8% |
| No, I want to settle abroad permanently | 30 | 11.1% |
| I have no plans to migrate | 19 | 7% |
| Only post-retirement | 19 | 7% |
| Total answered | 270 | 100% |
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<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Would you confidently choose to stay in Kerala if entry-level salaries in your field reached at least ₹35,000/month?
നിങ്ങളുടെ മേഖലയിൽ തുടക്കക്കാർക്ക് കുറഞ്ഞത് 35,000 രൂപ മാസശമ്പളം ലഭിക്കുകയാണെങ്കിൽ നിങ്ങൾ സന്തോഷത്തോടെ കേരളത്തിൽ തുടരുമോ?
അതെ, തീർച്ചയായും
ഇല്ല, മെച്ചപ്പെട്ട ജീവിതരീതിക്കായി ഞാൻ അപ്പോഴും വിദേശത്ത് പോകും
ഒരു തീരുമാനവുമില്ല
Data table
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, absolutely | 142 | 52.6% |
| No, I would still migrate for a better global lifestyle | 83 | 30.7% |
| Neutral / Undecided | 45 | 16.7% |
| Total answered | 270 | 100% |
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<p>Source: <a href="https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026">The Kerala Gen Z Report 2026</a>, Moyan AI.</p>Frequently asked#
- What percentage of Kerala youth want to migrate?
- 67.7% of the 399 respondents are interested in or planning to migrate outside Kerala for study or career.
- Why do young people leave Kerala?
- 50.4% cite low entry-level salaries and the lack of major industries; 30.4% cite better education and research abroad; 15.2% cite moral policing and restricted lifestyle freedom.
- Would higher salaries stop Kerala's youth migration?
- Partly. At a hypothetical ₹35,000 entry salary, 52.6% would stay, but 30.7% would still migrate for lifestyle reasons.
- Do Kerala migrants plan to return?
- 74.8% intend to return and settle in Kerala after earning enough; only 11.1% plan to settle abroad permanently.
Cite this page
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Attribution with a link back is the only condition.
Community Leadership and Social Change Program Research Scholars & Valakkulam, Y. (2026). Kerala Youth Migration Intent Survey 2026 — Data. Moyan Journal of Community & Society, Volume 1, Issue 1. Department of Graduate Institute, DHI University (DHIU), India; published by Moyan AI. https://journal.moyanai.app/journal/kerala-gen-z-survey-2026/findings/migration-intentReference manager
Open access. This work is published under CC BY 4.0. You may copy, redistribute, adapt and reuse the text, figures and data for any purpose, including commercially, with attribution and a link back.