It is the third largest city in Kerala and the headquarters of Kozhikode district. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom, and later of the erstwhile Malabar District.
Kozhikode has a population of 436,556 as per 2001 census, with an extended metropolitan population of about 0.9 million, making it the third largest urban agglomeration and the third largest city in Kerala. According to data compiled by economics research firm Indicus Analytics on residences, earnings and investments, Kozhikode ranked as the second best city in India to reside in. Indicus considered six parameters - health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment - for preparing their 'reside-in' index of liveability.