The total population of the Nair community is disputed, since there has been no caste-based census since 1931. The administrators of the British Raj had an abiding interest in ethnography but in post-independence India the policy has been generally to ignore it in censuses.[1]
The 1968 Socio-Economic Survey by the Government of Kerala stated that the population of the Nair community comprised 14.41% of the total state population. However, various sources cite figures ranging from 12% to 20%.[2] [3] [4] [5] There is also the practical difficulty of certain Nair subcastes declaring themselves as independent castes. Out of the citizens eligible to vote in Kerala, around 12% or 15% belong to the Nair community.[6]
The Nair population historically and currently remains concentrated in the capital districts. The Nair population in Trivandrum and Ernakulam districts has been increasing since the beginning of 19th century.[7]
The Nair population has been declining in Kerala, with some districts having only a small percentage of Nairs. For example, Malappuram has a Nair population of 1.8%, and Kasargode has about 2.1%.[8]
The most reliable population figures comes from two sources. The BCRC estimated Nair population at 14.47% of the total population of Kerala based on a statewide sample survey conducted for the reservation of seats in educational institutions.
Household sample surveys conducted by the Kerala Statistical Institute, the last of which were in 2000, produced estimates which were:
| Total District Population | Nairs in District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | % of District Population | % of Total Nairs in Kerala | |||
| Kasaragod | 1,203,000 | 36,000 | 3.0% | 0.8% | |
| Kannur | 2,412,000 | 584,000 | 24.2% | 13.1% | |
| Wayanad | 787,000 | 152,000 | 19.3% | 3.4% | |
| Kozhikode | 2,878,000 | 504,000 | 17.5% | 11.3% | |
| Malappuram | 3,630,000 | 80,000 | 2.2% | 1.8% | |
| Palakkad | 2,617,000 | 330,000 | 12.6% | 7.4% | |
| Thrissur | 2,975,000 | 223,000 | 7.5% | 5.0% | |
| Ernakulam | 3,098,000 | 316,000 | 10.2% | 7.1% | |
| Idukki | 1,129,000 | 111,000 | 9.8% | 2.5% | |
| Kottayam | 1,953,000 | 227,000 | 11.6% | 5.1% | |
| Alappuzha | 2,105,000 | 352,000 | 16.7% | 7.9% | |
| Pathanamthitta | 1,232,000 | 174,000 | 14.1% | 3.9% | |
| Kollam | 2,584,000 | 793,000 | 30.7% | 17.8% | |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3,235,000 | 575,000 | 17.8% | 12.9% | |
| Kerala total | 31,838,000 | 4,457,000 | 14.9% | 100.0% | |