Kerala has a diverse culture enriched by three great religions that have ancient roots here. Hinduism is the religion of the majority, practiced here with a rare rigour that prohibits non-Hindus from entering temples. Christianity, followed by a quarter of its population, was brought here by the Apostle St Thomas, while Islam was introduced by Arab traders in the 7th century.

The 31.8 million of Kerala’s compound population is predominantly of Malayali ethnicity, while the rest is mostly made up of Jewish and Arab elements in both culture and ancestry. Kerala is also home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace), who are mostly concentrated in the eastern districts. Malayalam is Kerala's official language; Tamil and various Adivasi languages are also spoken by ethnic minorities.

Kerala is home to 3.44% of India's people; at 819 persons per km², its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. Kerala's rate of population growth is India's lowest, and Kerala's decadal growth (9.42% in 2001) is less than half the all-India average of 21.34%. Whereas Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 by adding 15.6 million people to reach 29.1 million residents in 1991, the population stood at less than 32 million by 2001. Kerala's coastal regions are the most densely settled, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.

Kerala's principal religions are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%). Remnants of a once substantial Cochin Jewish population also practice Judaism. In comparison with the rest of India, Kerala experiences relatively little sectarianism.

We found the Keralan people to be extreamly friendly. This was particularly apparent in the markets where the traders were keen for us to sample their produce and excited to be included in photographs.

The Keralans are particularly well educated with adult literacy approaching 100%. We saw evidence of a continuing British influence in the education system with numerous "British Schools" where all teaching is in English and "O" and "A" levels taken.