New Delhi: It is a fact that India's tiny Parsi community is dwindling but the latest census figures show the ethnic group hurtling towards extinction.

Parsis are Zoroastrians - one of the world's oldest religions - from Persia, where it was the official religion for centuries until the advent of Islam. Persecution forced them to arrive on the shores of India over 1000 years ago where, thanks to extraordinary success in business, they have always punched above their weight, making huge contributions to Indian life.

Parsi priests perform the Jashan (thanksgiving) ceremony in Mumbai.

Always a small community, their numbers have been falling relentlessly, by 10 per cent every decade since the '50s. In the 2001 census, there were only 69,000 Parsis, mostly in Mumbai. According to the latest census figures for 2011, released earlier this week, the decline has sharpened; the decade from 2001-2011 was marked by an 18 per cent fall in Parsi numbers.

It leaves just over 57,000 Parsis in India.