Census 2027 Explained: Two Phases, the First Caste Count Since Independence, and Counting Yourself Online

India has held a census every ten years since 1881, but the round due in 2021 was postponed, initially because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government notified the new schedule in June 2025. The gap means that many official figures, from welfare targeting to urban planning, still rely on 2011 data.

Phase 1: houselisting (2026)

The first phase, the Houselisting and Housing Census, was scheduled from April to September 2026. Enumerators record every building and household and collect information on housing conditions, amenities and assets: the type of house, drinking water, toilets, cooking fuel, electricity and items such as phones and vehicles.

Phase 2: population enumeration (February 2027)

The second phase counts every person and collects demographic, social, economic and cultural details: age, sex, education, occupation, religion, language, migration and, this time, caste. The reference date is March 1, 2027, which means the census describes the population as it stood at that moment.

For Ladakh and the snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where winter makes February fieldwork impractical, the reference date is October 1, 2026.

Caste is back in the census

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided on April 30, 2025 to include caste enumeration in Census 2027. Caste will be recorded during the population enumeration phase. The last time the decennial census counted all castes was in 1931; since Independence, the census has counted only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. (The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census was a separate exercise.)

The data is expected to shape debates on reservations and welfare, which is why the methodology, including how caste names are recorded and classified, is being closely watched by states and political parties.

A digital census, and counting yourself

Census 2027 is being carried out through mobile applications rather than paper forms, with real-time monitoring of the fieldwork. For the first time, households can also choose self-enumeration: filling in their own details online before the enumerator's visit. About 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census officials are being deployed, according to the official announcement.

How to take part

• Answer the enumerator. Taking part is a legal duty, and the Census Act protects the confidentiality of individual answers.
• Use self-enumeration if offered in your area. Only use the official census portal or links shared through official government channels.
• Beware of fraud. Census staff do not ask for bank details, OTPs or passwords. Report anyone who does.

Why it matters

Census data underpins almost every public decision in India: the allocation of funds to states, the planning of schools and hospitals, and electoral constituencies. The new count will also be the basis for the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies and the implementation of women's reservation in legislatures. Results are expected to be released in stages after 2027.