Census 2027
Structure and Significance
Census 2027 is the 16th national census of India and the 8th since independence. It will be the first fully digital census, using mobile applications for data entry, GPS tagging of households, and real-time monitoring dashboards. It is also the first census to include comprehensive caste enumeration since 1931 — covering Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and all other communities. The census has two phases: Phase I (House Listing and Housing Census, April–September 2026) and Phase II (Population Enumeration, February 2027). Snow-bound regions (Ladakh, parts of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand) use a reference date of October 1, 2026.
- Approximately 30 lakh field functionaries deployed: Enumerators, Supervisors, Master Trainers, Charge Officers, and District/Principal Census Officers.
- Census 2021 was deferred due to COVID-19 and is being conducted as Census 2027.
- Self-enumeration is available via a government portal as an alternative to in-person enumeration.
- Census data informs delimitation of constituencies, reservation of seats for SCs/STs, allocation of central funds, planning of welfare schemes, and judicial review of reservation policy.
● Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen June 19, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes