India’s Census 2027 First Phase to Begin April 1, Houselisting Across All States and UTs

The first phase of Census 2027, known as houselisting and housing census, will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026, across all states and Union territories, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday.

As per the notification, each state and Union territory will carry out the houselisting exercise over a 30-day period within this six-month window. The government has also provided an option for self-enumeration, which will be available for 15 days prior to the start of the door-to-door houselisting process.

The notification was issued by Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan. It stated that the houselisting operation aims to systematically record all buildings, houses, and households across the country to create a reliable framework for the population count.

The population enumeration phase of Census 2027 will be conducted separately in February 2027. Together, the two phases will provide an updated and comprehensive count of India’s population. The decennial census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Significantly, Census 2027 will include caste data, which will be collected electronically during the population enumeration phase. The last full caste-based census was conducted during the British era between 1881 and 1931, and caste details were excluded from all censuses after Independence. The decision to include caste enumeration was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year.

The upcoming census will also be India’s first fully digital Census. Around 30 lakh enumerators will collect data using mobile applications available on both Android and iOS platforms, a move aimed at improving accuracy and data quality.

According to Census 2011, India’s population stood at 1,210.19 million, with 623.72 million males (51.54%) and 586.46 million females (48.46%).

Also Read: Union Cabinet Approves Census of India 2027, India’s First Fully Digital Census