India's Birth Control Measures and the Role of Priests in Resonating Among Muslims and Battling Faltering Efforts in Rural Districts

India's Muslim population, known for having large families, is increasingly adopting birth control measures and family planning, according to experts and community leaders. The trend of smaller Muslim families has become visible in the last 15 years, with the National Family Health Survey showing a fall in the Muslim fertility rate to 2.4 in 2019-21 from 3.4 in 2005-06. Although still higher than all other communities, the decline is also the fastest, almost halving from 4.4 in 1992-93. Some Muslim priests, or imams, have played a large role in bringing about the change by conducting awareness programs and making appeals about what shariat has said about such issues.