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The people’s newsroom

Topic

Census 2027

India's first census since 2011, its first digital count, and its first caste count for all groups since 1931.

From the editorial deskPublished

Census 2027 is India’s first census since 2011. It is the first to be carried out digitally, with an option for people to enumerate themselves online, and the first since 1931 to record the caste of every group.

Where things stand

The first phase, house listing and housing, was scheduled from April to September 2026, state by state. On 14 August 2026 the Registrar General notified 40 questions for the population count, including caste, Aadhaar number, mobile number and the number of bank accounts.

Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were counted in September 2026. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and non-snow-bound Uttarakhand, all with assembly terms ending in 2027, will be counted from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027. The rest of India follows in February 2027.

The questions also include new items such as particulars of parents and spouse, digital literacy and where a person received a Covid-19 vaccine. The notification does not include a pre-set list of castes, so answers are to be recorded as given. How the Registrar General will group those answers, and when caste tables will be published, has not been announced.

Key dates

  1. Apr–Sep 2026House listing and housing phase
  2. 14 Aug 202640 population questions notified, including caste
  3. 5 Sep 2026Count advanced in four poll-bound states
  4. 1 Dec 2026–4 Jan 2027Count in UP, Punjab, Goa and non-snow-bound Uttarakhand
  5. Feb 2027Count in the rest of India
  6. 1 Mar 2027Reference date for most of India

Key numbers

  • 40questions in the population count
  • 1931last census to record caste for all groups
  • ₹11,718 crorereported census budget
  • 5 Jan 2027reference date in the four poll-bound states

Key questions

Will caste be counted for everyone? Yes. Question 10 now reads “SC/ST/Caste”. There is no pre-set list of castes, which the Congress has criticised.

Why are four states being counted early? The notification gives no reason. Business Standard linked it to assembly elections due in those states in 2027.

Can I fill in my own details? Yes. Self-enumeration windows open before door-to-door counting; in the four poll-bound states it runs from 16 to 30 November 2026.

When will results be published? No date has been announced. LokVox could not find an official release timetable for population totals or caste tables.

All coverage 6 stories

The documents