Census 2027 launched with digital enumeration
The first phase of Census 2027 began on Wednesday, marking the start of the world’s largest population survey. This will be India’s 16th census and the eighth since Independence, and it will be conducted digitally for the first time. A major addition this year is the self-enumeration feature, which allows citizens to submit their details online. The reference date for the census has been fixed as midnight of March 1, 2027. For non-synchronous and snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the reference date will be midnight of October 1, 2026.
The exercise will be carried out in two phases. The first phase, House Listing and Housing Census (HLO), will be conducted between April and September 2026 over a six-month period. Each state and union territory will complete this process within a 30-day window, preceded by a 15-day self-enumeration period. This phase will collect information on housing conditions, availability of amenities and household assets. The questionnaire for this phase had already been notified in January 2026.
The second phase, focused on population enumeration, will take place in February 2027, while in non-synchronous regions it will be conducted in September 2026. This phase will gather detailed information on demographics, socio-economic conditions, education, migration and fertility. The government has also decided to include caste enumeration as part of this phase.
The government has released state-wise schedules for the first phase. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi (including areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board), Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim will conduct the housing census from April 16 to May 15, with a self-enumeration window from April 1 to April 15. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana will carry out the process from May 1 to May 30, with self-enumeration scheduled from April 16 to April 30.
