London (CNN Business) Three years ago, India was enjoying economic growth of about 9%. Now the rate of expansion has slumped to just half that.

The country's gross domestic product grew by just 4.5% in the July to September quarter, the lowest level since early 2013. GDP growth was at 7% in the same period last year, and 5% in the previous quarter.

Economic growth has now fallen for six consecutive quarters, a slide that can be partially attributed to the recent weakness of India's factories. The manufacturing sector shrank 1% last quarter, compared to 6.9% growth during the same period a year ago. The growth rate for agriculture was more than cut in half.

The GDP figure is the weakest recorded under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who first swept to power five years ago promising to take India's economy to new heights and create millions of jobs every year.

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