India’s Muslim population is growing slower than it had in the previous decades, reports The Hindu.

And the Muslims’ growth rate has slowed more sharply than that of the Hindu population in the 1.21 billion-size nation, according to census data released on Tuesday.

PTI says the Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 per cent growth to touch 172.2 million (17.22 crore) in the 10-year period between 2001 and 2011, up from 138 million (13.8 crore). The Hindu population stood at 966.3 million (96.63 crore) during the period, up from 827.6 million in 2001, shows the latest census data on religion.

According to the 2011 census, the Hindus account for 79.8 per cent of its population, Muslims 14.23 per cent, Christians 2.3 per cent, Sikhs 2.16 per cent, Buddhists 0.7 per cent and Jain 0.4 per cent.

The Hindu also reports the decadal Muslim rate of growth is the lowest it has ever been in India’s history, as it is for all religions.

India’s Muslim population was 35.4 million in 1951, 46.9 million in 1961, 61.4 million in 1971, 80.3 million in 1981 and 106.7 million in 1991.

In India, the Hindu population was counted at 303.5 million in 1951, 366.5 million in 1961, 453.3 million in 1971, 562.4 million in 1981 and 690.1 million in 1991.

As has been the case since Independence, the rate of increase of the Muslim population is higher than that of the Hindu population as a result of higher Muslim fertility, higher child mortality among Hindus and a greater life expectancy among Muslims, demographers say.

However, Muslim fertility rates in India are falling faster than among Hindus, Pew Research’s Future of World Religions report showed recently, and the Muslim community is expected to reach replacement levels of fertility by 2050.