evidence: The total fertility rate, or TFR, is a measure of how many children women normally bear on average in their lifetimes. As per the latest estimates, this stands at around 2.4 kids for Muslims and 1.9 for Hindus in India. TFR is typically higher in lesser-developed countries due to the lack of access to birth-control measures and lower levels of female empowerment. In contrast, it is generally lower in areas with better income, education and human development. Therefore, a low TFR is actually a good thing, provided it manages to replenish the population. To that end, PFI notes that the steepest TFR decline in recent times has also been observed among Muslims, declining by 1% compared to the Hindu’s 0.7%. Considering that the Muslim community still has the highest TFR, the non-profit explains that this lowering trend notes how fertility rates are finally equalising across India’s religious spectrum. PFI also highlights that the TFR among Muslim women in Kerala is even lower than the TFR among Hindu women in Bihar, emphasising the significant impact of factors like education and healthcare on population dynamics across different regions and religious groups.