Tirur is a municipal town in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 square kilometres (6.39 sq mi). It is one of the business centers of Malappuram district and is situated 26 kilometres (16 mi) west of Malappuram and 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Kozhikode, on the Shoranur–Mangalore section Section of the Mangalore–Chennai railway line. Tirur is also a major regional trading centre for fish and betel leaf and has an average elevation of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). As of 2001 India census, Tirur had a population of 53,650, of which 48% are male and 52% female. Tirur has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 78%. In Tirur, 14% of the population is under six years of age.