INDIA. ZOROASTRIANS AS A DISAPPEARING COMMUNITY
Indian census data (2001) records 69,601 Parsis in India, with a concentration in and around the city of Mumbai (previously known as Bombay). There are about 100,000 Parsis worldwide their number is steadily declining (approximately 9% per decade). According to the National Commission for Minorities, there are a variety of causes that are responsible for this steady decline, the most significant of which are childlessness, a reluctance to accept converts, and migration. This demographic trends means that by the year 2020 the Parsis will number only 23,000 (less than 0,0002% of the present total population of India). In this case the Parsis will cease to be called a community and will be labeled a tribe.