Census 2027 sets stage for historic digital and caste enumeration

January 9, 2026 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani

India is preparing for a landmark national exercise that will reshape its demographic data landscape.

The Union government has formally notified Phase I of Census 2027, beginning with houselisting operations.

These will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026, across all states and Union territories. Each state and UT will carry out the exercise over 30 days within this window.

Importantly, the census will reintroduce caste enumeration. The last comprehensive caste-based count was conducted during British rule between 1881 and 1931. Since Independence, caste data has been excluded from all census operations.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs notification, households will also get a self-enumeration option. This facility will be available for 15 days before the start of the house-to-house houselisting period. Consequently, citizens can submit details digitally in advance.

The Census of India 2027 will be conducted in two phases. First, houselisting and housing census will take place from April to September 2026. Then, population enumeration will be conducted in February 2027.

Houselisting is a crucial preparatory step. It systematically records all buildings, houses, and households. This creates a reliable frame for accurate population enumeration later.

The census was originally planned for 2021. However, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the government aims to complete the long-pending exercise with upgraded technology.

Census 2027 will be India’s first fully digital census. Around 30 lakh enumerators will collect data using mobile applications. These apps will be available on both Android and iOS platforms. As a result, data quality and processing speed are expected to improve significantly.

The exercise will capture detailed information. This includes housing conditions, amenities, assets, religion, language, literacy, migration, and economic activity. It will also collect data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The decision to include caste enumeration was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. The committee is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The decision was taken on April 30 last year.

Census 2027 will be the 16th census of India and the eighth after Independence. It remains the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise. The operation involves large public spending in ₹ terms due to its scale.

According to the Census 2011, India’s population stood at 1,210.19 million. Males accounted for 51.54 per cent, while females made up 48.46 per cent. The upcoming census will update this crucial national picture.

Image Credit: w:user:Planemad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons