NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday took another step forward in conducting the Census of India 2027, which will kick off with house listings between April and September 2026, followed by population enumeration in 2027.
As per the formal notification issued on Wednesday, the governments of states and Union territories (UT) will carry out ‘the House Listing and Housing Census’ from April 1 to September 30, 2026. It is the first phase of the census, recording details about houses and basic amenities, but not people.
Earlier, on June 16, 2025, the government had notified in the gazette that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases.
The second phase -- population enumeration (PE) -- will be held in February 2027. In the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE will instead take place in September 2026 due to climatic conditions prevailing there. In this phase demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household will be collected.
The Union Cabinet had also approved a budget of Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the gigantic task. The last nationwide census was carried out in 2011, with the 2021 round postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has now confirmed that the next census will be held in 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
This round of population counting will be historic on many counts, as for the first time it will be carried out in digital format using mobile applications for data collection, reaffirming the government's aggressive intent of technological integration. Additionally, self-enumeration will be allowed shortly before the house listing phase begins, offering convenience and accuracy in data gathering.
Another unique feature of Census 2027 is the collection of caste data, which has not been done since India’s Independence.
Implemented by a cadre of 30 lakh enumerators, this digital census aims to provide a comprehensive demographic snapshot, critically contributing to policymaking and resource allocation.
Census 2027 will be the 16th national census and the eighth since Independence, covering the entire population and providing granular village, town and ward-level data on housing, amenities, demography, education, economic activity, migration and more. The exercise is governed by the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990.
