Cabinet approves ₹11,718 cr budget for Census 2027, timeline announced

The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore for conducting the 2027 Census, setting the stage for what is described as the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.

 

According to the government, the Census will be carried out in two phases: the Houselisting and Housing Census between April and September 2026, followed by the Population Enumeration in February 2027. 

 

For Ladakh and the snow-bound, non-synchronous regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Population Enumeration will be held earlier, in September 2026.

 

The Population Enumeration phase will also include caste data, as announced by the Cabinet earlier this year.

 

During the briefing, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that around 3 million field functionaries will carry out the exercise. 

 

"The last census was conducted in 2011. The 2021 census could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the next one is scheduled for 2027... This is a massive exercise, and full preparations have been made to conduct it in a well-planned manner, with extensive use of digital technologies," Vaishnaw said.

 

He also added that the 2027 round will also mark India’s first fully digital Census, with data collection to be done through mobile applications available on both Android and iOS. 

 

Census 2027 will be India’s 16th Census and the eighth since Independence. It will include information on housing, amenities, demography, religion, caste, language, migration and economic activity.