evidence: Once again, the Muslim population has become a point of discussion. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Muslims in India as "those who have a large number of children". A Data Point published on April 23 showed that the fertility rate of Muslims was 2.36 in 2019-21, much closer to the replacement level. The fertility rate is the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. A rate of 2.1 (the ‘replacement level’) means that the population is stable. [...] The fertility rate of Muslim women varies according to region. For instance, the fertility rate of Muslim women in Bihar was 3.6 in 2019-21, much higher than the 2.0 in Maharashtra. Similarly, the fertility rate of Muslim women was 1.9 in Tamil Nadu and 2.0 in Karnataka, much lower than the 2.7 in Jharkhand and 2.4 in Rajasthan. The answer for why fertility levels drastically vary among Muslim women across different regions lies in how developed a State is both economically and socially. [...] In most States, the unmet demand among Muslim women was higher than Hindu women. In States such as Haryana, Bihar, and Jharkhand where the fertility rate of Muslim women was high, the unmet demand was also high. In these States, the gap between the unmet demand between Muslim and Hindu women was much wider too. Increasing awareness about contraceptive measures and enhancing access to them, educating girl children, and stopping child marriage — all functions of the government — will reduce the fertility rates among all the religious groups at a much faster rate.