India is preparing for its first Census in 16 years, and Census 2027 will be significantly different from the last nationwide count in 2011. From a nationwide caste enumeration to questions on Aadhaar, mobile numbers, Voter ID and digital literacy, the exercise will collect a much wider set of information.
The Registrar General of India (RGI) has notified 40 questions for the Population Enumeration (PE), the second and final phase of Census 2027. That is 11 more than the 29 questions asked during the 2011 Census.
Here is what changes and how the exercise will work.
The Census was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed following the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, Census 2027 will be India's first population count since 2011 and the eighth Census since Independence.
Much has changed geographically as well. Telangana became a separate state in 2014, Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in 2019, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into one Union Territory.
The government has budgeted Rs 11,718 crore for the exercise.
The biggest change is the inclusion of caste in the nationwide Census.
For the first time since Independence, citizens will be asked to state their caste as part of the population enumeration. Caste appears as Question 10 on the household schedule alongside the question relating to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe status.
Importantly, there will be no pre-set list of castes from which people have to select. Census officials have been instructed to record the caste exactly as declared by the respondent.
This differs from caste surveys conducted by states such as Bihar and Telangana, where respondents selected their caste from prepared state-wise lists.
Along with traditional Census questions covering name, sex, date of birth, marital status, religion and mother tongue, Census 2027 will seek considerably more information.
Enumerators will ask for a person's mobile number, Aadhaar number and Voter ID, wherever these exist. Information relating to passports and driving licences will also be sought.
People will additionally be asked where they received their Covid-19 vaccination and how many bank accounts they hold.
The Census will collect information on disability, migration history and permanent address. Education-related questions will cover literacy, digital literacy, school attendance and the highest educational qualification attained.
On employment, respondents will be asked about their occupation, the type of industry in which they work and whether they worked during the previous year. (Hindustan Times)
Women who are married, widowed, divorced or separated will be asked questions relating to fertility.
These will include the total number of children they have had and how many children were born during the preceding year.
Such demographic information helps authorities analyse fertility patterns and population change.
Yes. This will be India's first Census conducted using a dedicated mobile application rather than relying only on paper schedules.
However, the traditional door-to-door enumeration system is not disappearing.
People will also have the option of self-enumeration. Residents can enter their information through a dedicated online platform and generate a code. That code can subsequently be provided to the Census enumerator visiting their household for verification.
Those who do not use the online facility will be enumerated through the regular household visit.
Census 2027 is being carried out in two stages.
The first is the House Listing and Housing Operations (HLO) phase. It maps structures, houses and households and contains 33 questions covering aspects of living conditions such as sources of drinking water, toilets, cooking fuel, internet connectivity and vehicle ownership.
The second stage is Population Enumeration, during which information about individual members of households will be collected through the newly notified 40-question schedule.
For most of India, Population Enumeration will take place in February 2027.
However, Ladakh and snowbound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be counted earlier because winter conditions make enumeration difficult.
Self-enumeration in these areas begins on August 17, 2026, followed by door-to-door enumeration from September 1 to September 30.
The reference date — the date to which the Census information relates — will be March 1, 2027, for most of India. For Ladakh and the designated snowbound areas, it will be October 1, 2026.
The nationwide collection of caste data could have implications extending well beyond demography.
Reliable caste numbers have long been sought in debates surrounding reservations, welfare programmes and the distribution of government benefits. The decision to include caste in Census 2027 was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs in April 2025.
The method chosen will also be closely watched because respondents will state their caste themselves rather than choose from a standardised list. That could make the subsequent classification and processing of the data particularly important.
The actual counting exercise will conclude much earlier than the publication of the complete Census results.
While field data collection is expected to conclude by March 1, 2027, the Registrar General's office has indicated that compiling, processing and publishing the final results could take another two to three years.
That means the full demographic picture emerging from India's first Census since 2011 may unfold gradually over several years.