It is a well-documented fact that Kerala ranks first on many socio-economic indicators compared to other States. For instance, it has a low share of teenage marriages, a low infant mortality ratio, a low share of stunted children, and a high share of people using sanitation facilities compared to other States. In fact, it stands out on many indicators even among the relatively advanced southern States.
However, significant inter-district disparities exist across many indicators. The differences between relatively rich districts such as Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram and relatively poor districts such as Kasaragod, Palakkad, Wayanad and Malappuram were considerably high across many of the parameters considered in this analysis.
