Washington, Aug 11 - Indians in the US are not only the fastest growing Asian community, but also have the dubious distinction of being fastest-growing group of illegal immigrants in the country.

According to the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau, the Asian Indian population in the US grew from almost 1,679,000 in 2000 to 2,570,000 in 2007.

With a growth rate of 53 percent the highest for any Asian American community, and among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the US, Indian Americans are the third largest Asian American ethnic group, after Chinese Americans and Filipinos.

When it comes to illegal immigration, Hispanic illegal immigrants largely outnumber other undocumented immigrants. Mexicans make up nearly 7 million of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

The next largest group of Hispanics are Salvadorans and Guatemalans.