On Wednesday, April 1, India began the first phase of the long-delayed Census, marking the start of what the government has described as the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercise.
Two-phase exercise with key dates
The Census will be conducted in two phases. The first phase — House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) — runs from April 1 to September 30, with timelines set by states and Union territories (UTs). The second phase, Population Enumeration, will take place in early 2027.
The reference date for counting the population is midnight of March 1, 2027.
For Ladakh and the snow-bound, non-synchronous regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Population Enumeration will be held in September 2026. The reference date for the same will be October 1, 2026.
First digital Census, caste data included
Census 2027 will be conducted using digital devices, marking India’s first fully digital population count. For the first time, it will also offer a self-enumeration option.
The exercise will also include caste enumeration, a feature absent from the decennial Census since 1931. While caste data was collected during the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in 2011, it was not released. Officials cited anomalies in the data, with respondents using varied ways to describe their caste identities, including sub-castes and community names.
State and UT-wise dates
| State/UT | Self-Enumeration Period | Houselisting and Housing Census Period |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Delhi (NDMC & Delhi Cantonment); Goa; Karnataka; Lakshadweep; Mizoram; Odisha; Sikkim | 1 April to 15 April | 16 April to 15 May |
| Gujarat; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 5 April to 19 April | 20 April to 19 May |
| Uttarakhand | 10 April to 24 April | 25 April to 24 May |
| Madhya Pradesh; Andhra Pradesh; Arunachal Pradesh; Chandigarh; Chhattisgarh; Haryana | 16 April to 30 April | 1 May to 30 May |
| Bihar | 17 April to 1 May | 2 May to 31 May |
| Telangana | 26 April to 10 May | 11 May to 9 June |
| Punjab | | 30 April to 14 May / 15 May to 13 June |
| Delhi (MCD); Maharashtra; Meghalaya; Rajasthan; Jharkhand | 1 May to 15 May | 16 May to 14 June |
| Uttar Pradesh | 7 May to 21 May | 22 May to 20 June |
| Jammu and Kashmir; Ladakh; Puducherry | 17 May to 31 May | 1 June to 30 June |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1 June to 15 June | 16 June to 15 July |
| Kerala; Nagaland | 16 June to 30 June | 1 July to 30 July |
| Tamil Nadu; Tripura | 17 July to 31 July | 1 Aug to 30 Aug |
| Assam | 2 Aug to 16 Aug | 17 Aug to 15 Sep |
| Manipur | 17 Aug to 31 Aug | 1 Sep to 30 Sep |
| West Bengal | To be decided | |
What the first phase will capture
During the HLO phase, enumerators will collect detailed information on housing conditions and household characteristics. This includes identification details such as building and house numbers, and materials used for floors, walls and roofs. Officials will also record the condition and usage of houses and assign household numbers.
They will also ask about the total number of usual residents in the household, the name and sex of the head of the household, whether the head belongs to a Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or other category, ownership status of the house, number of dwelling rooms and the number of married couples in the household.
Enumerators will also gather data on amenities such as drinking water, lighting, sanitation, wastewater outlets, bathing and kitchen facilities, and cooking fuel, including LPG or PNG connections.
In addition, details of accessibility to the internet, television, mobile phones, vehicles and computers will be recorded, along with the main cereal consumed and a contact mobile number.
Why the Census 2021 was delayed
The last Census was held 15 years ago in 2011. The 2021 Census was initially delayed because of the outbreak of Covid-19. In 2023, the UN Population Fund said India was likely to have almost three million more people than China by the middle of that year.
Census 2027 budget
The Centre has approved a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore for the exercise. Around three million field functionaries are expected to carry out the enumeration across the country.
Why it matters
The Census will have a bearing on the delimitation of the Lok Sabha seats and one-third reservation for women in directly elected legislatures. While the exact timeline for data release is unclear, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India Mritunjay Kumar Narayan has said most data will be published in 2027.
The provisional data for the 2011 Census was released on March 31, 2011, 25 days after its population enumeration phase ended, while the final data was released two years later on April 30, 2013.
 "Census 2027 Phase 1 begins today: Here's all you need to know about it")
