Initial phase of Census 2027 to begin on April 1, ‘houselisting’ to be done within 30-day period

The initial phase of Census 2027, focused on houselisting, will begin on April 1, 2026, and continue until September 30, 2026, across all states and Union territories. Each state and Union territory will conduct these operations over a 30-day period specified by their respective administrations.

The houselisting and housing census phase will systematically list all structures, houses, and households nationwide. This will lay the foundation for the subsequent population enumeration scheduled for February 2027. The decadal census, originally planned for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now be conducted using upgraded digital methods.

For the first time, the census will offer an option for self-enumeration, allowing residents to submit their details electronically. This self-enumeration phase will take place over 15 days just before the house-to-house houselisting operations begin, as mentioned in a notification from Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan stated.

The digital approach will involve around 30 lakh enumerators using mobile applications compatible with both Android and iOS platforms. This is expected to ensure better quality data compared to previous paper-based methods.

A key feature of Census 2027 is the inclusion of caste enumeration, which will be captured electronically during the population enumeration phase. The last comprehensive caste-based count was conducted by the British between 1881 and 1931, as caste data has been excluded from all census operations since Independence. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the inclusion of caste data on April 30 last year.

The population enumeration phase in February 2027 will use the data frame established by the houselisting operations. This two-phase process aims to provide an updated demographic profile of India to support policy decisions and resource allocation. According to Census 2011, India’s population was 1,210.19 million, with males comprising 623.72 million (51.54%) and females 586.46 million (48.46%).