GOVERNMENT

Census 2027: India Prepares to Count Itself Again, This Time, Digitally

After a silence that lasted longer than any in independent India’s history, the country is finally preparing to count itself again.

On December 12, 2025, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the scheme for conducting the Census of India 2027, allocating ₹11,718.24 crore for what will be the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world. More than a routine headcount, Census 2027 marks a reset of data, of governance, and of how India understands itself.

A 16-Year Pause and a Long-Awaited Restart

India’s census tradition dates back to 1872, when the first synchronised census was conducted under British rule. Since Independence, the country has followed a strict decennial rhythm, conducting censuses every ten years starting in 1951. That rhythm broke in 2021.

Originally scheduled to begin in April 2020, the census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What followed were years of disruption, lockdowns, vaccination drives, stretched administrative machinery and shifting priorities. The result is a 16-year gap between censuses, the longest since Independence.

In that time, India changed dramatically. Cities expanded, migration patterns shifted, new welfare schemes rolled out, and digital infrastructure deepened, yet policymaking continued to rely on 2011 population data. Census 2027 is expected to finally bridge that gap.

India’s First Fully Digital Census

For the first time in its history, India will conduct a digital census.

Gone are paper schedules and hand-drawn maps. Instead, data will be collected using mobile applications compatible with Android and iOS, deployed across the country by nearly 30 lakh field functionaries. These enumerators—mostly government teachers and officials appointed by states—will visit every household, armed with smartphones instead of registers.

At the heart of this transformation is the Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS), a centralised digital portal that will allow real-time tracking of progress across districts, states and Union Territories.

Another major shift is the introduction of self-enumeration. Citizens will have the option to fill in their census details online through a secure portal, generating a QR code or reference number that enumerators can later verify.

Two Phases, One Massive Operation

The Census of India 2027 will be conducted in two distinct phases:

Phase I: Houselisting and Housing Census

Scheduled between April and September 2026, this phase will collect data on housing conditions, household assets, sanitation, drinking water, cooking fuel and amenities. Each state and Union Territory will select a 30-day window within this period.

Phase II: Population Enumeration

The main headcount will take place in February 2027, with a reference date of March 1, 2027. For snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, enumeration will be conducted earlier, in September 2026, with a reference date of October 1, 2026.

Together, these phases will capture granular data down to the village and ward level, covering demography, religion, language, literacy, migration, fertility and economic activity.

The Return of Caste Enumeration

One of the most significant, and debated features of Census 2027 is the inclusion of caste enumeration.

In April 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs approved the decision to collect caste data electronically during the Population Enumeration phase. This will be the first full caste census since 1931, going beyond the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes to include all communities.

Enumerators will use a state-specific coded directory, presented as a drop-down menu within the app, to ensure consistency and accuracy in data collection.

Data as a Service, Not Just a Report

Census 2027 is also reimagining how data is used.

Under a new “Census as a Service” (CaaS) model, census data will be delivered to ministries and departments in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format. Instead of static tables released years later, policymakers will be able to access query-based data through digital systems—supporting faster, evidence-based decision-making.

The government has promised improved data dissemination with customised visualisation tools, allowing access to information down to the lowest administrative units.

Privacy, Law and Public Trust

With digitisation comes concern, and the government has emphasised safeguards.

The census continues to operate under the Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990, which guarantee confidentiality. Individual data cannot be shared, published or used as evidence in civil or criminal proceedings. Only aggregated data will be released.

Census 2027 will be India’s 16th census and the 8th since Independence, but its significance goes beyond counting people. It is an attempt to realign governance with reality, to replace assumptions with evidence, and to modernise a system that shapes everything from welfare schemes to parliamentary constituencies.

As India prepares for this massive exercise, its success will depend not just on technology or budgets, but on participation, trust and accuracy. After sixteen long years, the country is finally ready to count itself again. And this time, every click matters.