Census 2027 | 12 Jan 2026

Source: IE 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the commencement of house-listing operations for Census of India 2027, marking the start of preparations for the 16th Census, the first nationwide census exercise since 2011. 

Key Highlights of Census 2027 

• Phased Timeline: It follows a 2-phase structure, i.e., Phase I (2026) for House-listing and Housing Census, and Phase II (2027) for Population Enumeration.  
  • House-listing operations will occur from 1st April to 30th September, 2026, with each State and Union Territory completing them within a 30-day window.  
  • The population enumeration reference date will be 1st March, 2027 (for most of the country), or 1st October, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions like Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. 
• Legal Basis: The Census is being conducted under Sections 3 and 17A of the Census Act, 1948 by the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI), and supersedes the 2020 notification for the deferred 2021 Census. 
• Digital and Self-Enumeration: It will be India's first digital census, with a formal provision for a 15-day self-enumeration window allowing households to submit data online before an enumerator's visit. 
  • It will involve digital tools including GPS tagging, offline data capture (for low-connectivity areas), cloud uploads, and and a Census Management and Monitoring System for near-real-time supervision. 
• Expanded Data Points: House-listing includes 34 columns with new parameters: internet access, smartphone ownership, type of gas connection (PNG/LPG), vehicle categorization, drinking water source, and cereal consumption. 
• Historic & Political Significance: It will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931 (beyond SCs/STs) and will form the basis for future delimitation of electoral constituencies once the constitutional freeze is lifted.