The 2027 Census of India, or the 16th Indian census, is being conducted in two phases: the House Listing and Housing Census phase, which commenced on 1 April 2026 and will continue until September 2026, followed by the Population Enumeration phase scheduled to be conducted between 9 to 28 February 2027. In certain Himalayan and snow-bound regions, such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, Population Enumeration is scheduled earlier, from August to September 2026. The census was postponed from the original scheduled date of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, and was subsequently rescheduled for 2026–27.
This 2027 census includes caste enumeration for the first time since 1931. The census will serve as the basis for the delimitation exercise for redistribution of seats in the Lok Sabha. However, the Government of India had initially proposed to use data from the 2011 Census of India for delimitation instead of waiting for the 2027 Census, in order to avoid delays and enable faster implementation of the Women's Reservation provisions through the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026 but failed to secure the required special two-thirds majority of members present and voting, falling short by 56 votes, and consequently, as per the Delimitation Act, 2002, it was determined that the 2027 Census would be used for the next delimitation exercise as well as for woman reservation.
In September 2019, home minister Amit Shah announced that the census would be conducted digitally using a mobile application and in 16 languages.
It is also the first Indian census to introduce self-enumeration, allowing residents to submit their details online through a dedicated portal.
Information collection Houselisting and Housing Census The Houselisting and Housing Census will be conducted between 1 April 2026 and 30 September 2026, with a 30-day continuous operation period for each state/UT. An optional 15-day Self-Enumeration period will precede the house-to-house survey. The House-listing schedule contains 31 questions: No. Information1Building Number (Municipal, local authority or census number)2Census House Number3Predominant material of floor, wall and roof of the census house4Ascertain use of census house5Condition of the census house6Household number7Total number of persons normally residing in the household8Name of the head of the household9Sex of the head of the household10Whether the head of the household belongs to SC/ST/Other11Ownership status of the census house12Number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household13Number of married couple(s) living in the household14Main source of drinking water15Availability of drinking water source16Main source of lighting17Access to latrine18Type of latrine19Waste water outlet20Availability of bathing facility21Availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection22Main fuel used for cooking23Radio/Transistor24Television25Access to Internet26Laptop/Computer27Telephone/Mobile phone/Smartphone28Bicycle/Scooter/Motorcycle/Moped29Car/Jeep/Van30Main cereal consumed in the household31Mobile number
Population enumeration Population Enumeration will be conducted in February 2027 across India. For the Ladakh UT and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, house-to-house Population Enumeration will take place in September 2026, preceded by an optional PE Self-Enumeration exercise from 17 August to 31 August 2026. In this phase of the census, caste-related question will also be included. Each person is enumerated and her/his individual information such as age, marital status, religion, SC/ST categorization, caste, mother tongue, education level, disability, economic activity, migration, fertility (for female). etc. are collected.
No. Information 1 Name of the person 2 Relationship to head 3 Sex 4 Date of Birth and Age 5 Current Marital Status 6 Age at Marriage 7 Spouse Name 8 Nationality as declared 9 Religion 10 Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste 11 Father’s Particulars 12 Mother’s Particulars 13 Disability 14 Mother Tongue and other languages known 15 Literacy and digital literacy status 16 Status of attendance in educational institution 17 Highest educational level attained and Stream/Discipline 18 Worked any time during last year 19 Category of economic activity 20 Occupation 21 Nature of industry, trade or service 22 Class of worker 23 Non-economic activity (for marginal, semi-marginal and non-worker) 24 Seeking or available for work (for marginal, semi-marginal and non-worker) 25 Travel to place of work 26 Birth place 27 Place of last residence 28 Reason for migration 29 Duration of stay in this village/town since last migration 30 Permanent Residential Address 31 Number of children surviving at present (for currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women only) 32 Number of children ever born alive (for currently married, widowed, divorced and separated women only) 33 Number of children born alive during last one year (for currently married women only) 34 Place of Covid-19 Vaccination 35 Total number of Bank Accounts 36 Mobile Number (if available) 37 Aadhaar Number (if available) 38 Voter ID Number (if available) 39 Passport Number (if Indian Passport holder) 40 Availability of Driving License
Self-enumeration For the Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO), the Government of India introduced, for the first time, an optional self-enumeration facility that allows residents to submit household information online before an enumerator visits. Households can log in to the dedicated portal using a mobile number, complete a digital questionnaire on housing conditions, amenities, and assets, and receive a unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID), which is later verified and integrated by field staff during Houselisting operations. The portal is available in 16 languages — Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu — and includes user guides, FAQs, tooltips, flowcharts, and tutorial videos within the portal itself to assist respondents.
The self-enumeration window runs for 15 days immediately before the commencement of house-to-house Houselisting and Housing Census field operations in each State/UT, creating an effective 45-day block per jurisdiction. The overall Phase I (HLO) is conducted in a staggered manner across all 36 States and Union Territories between April and September 2026.
For the Population Enumeration phase, Self-Enumeration for Ladakh UT and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will take place from 17 August to 31 August 2026. For the remaining states and UTs, the period of Self-Enumeration will be notified later.
+State and UT-wise self-enumeration schedule for the Houselisting and Housing CensusState/Union TerritoriesSelf-enumeration period (2026) Andaman and Nicobar IslandsDelhi (NDMC & Delhi Cantonment Board)GoaKarnatakaLakshadweepMizoramOdishaSikkim1 April – 15 AprilDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuGujarat5 April – 19 AprilUttarakhand10 April – 24 AprilAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshChandigarhChattisgarhHaryanaMadhya Pradesh16 April – 30 AprilBihar17 April – 1 MayTelangana26 April – 10 MayPunjab30 April – 14 MayDelhi (MCD areas)JharkhandMaharashtraMeghalayaRajasthan1 May – 15 MayUttar Pradesh7 May – 21 MayJammu and KashmirLadakhPuducherry17 May – 31 MayHimachal Pradesh1 June – 15 JuneKeralaNagaland16 June – 30 JuneTamil NaduTripura17 July – 31 JulyWest Bengal1 August – 15 AugustAssam2 August – 16 AugustManipur17 August – 31 August
Enumeration methods Digital enumeration In April 2019, at the conference of data users it was announced that 3.3 million enumerators would be enlisted and that they would be encouraged to use their own smart phones, although a paper option will also be available, which the enumerators will then need to submit electronically. During the census exercise a census portal will be opened, allowing individuals to self-enumerate after logging in using their phone numbers. The building of a mobile app for conducting the census along with the creation of the census portal for information collection is aimed at doing away with paper records in the exercise, making India along with Vietnam and Eswatini, one of the few countries who have tried to do so.
National Population Register (NPR) The National Population Register (NPR) will be linked to this census. The NPR was supposed to be updated along with the first phase of census between April and September 2020, however that too has been postponed indefinitely. On 24 December 2019, the central Government approved for updating the NPR across India.
Caste enumeration The 15th Indian census, taken in 2011, attempted to estimate the population based on Socio-Economic and Caste Status for the first time since 1931. However, as the enumeration was based on recording the respondents' declaration, it led to creation of hundreds of thousands of caste/subcaste categories. For the 16th Indian census, the government was instead considering enumeration based on a list of educationally or socially disadvantaged castes (known as Other Backward Class) reported by each state. However, in February 2020, the Indian government rejected the demand for OBC data as part of the 2021 census.
In September 2018, the then Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, announced that the 2021 census will have Other Backward Class (OBC) data, for the first time since the 1931 census. Despite this announcement, the questionnaire presented in July 2019 did not have a specific OBC category. Several state legislative assemblies passed resolutions for collecting OBC data including the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Odisha Legislative Assembly, and Bihar Legislative Assembly, while the government of Uttar Pradesh, rejected the opposition's demand to pass such a resolution. On 29 February 2020, central government refused to conduct caste census despite demands from states. Despite Centre's rejection, Maharashtra legislators were adamant for caste based census at least in the state. Protest march in support of OBC census was carried out in Jammu and Kashmir. Minister of State Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale also demanded carrying of census counting every single caste in India. On 6 June 2022 the Bihar government issued a notification to conduct a caste survey, and began collecting data on 7 January following the dismissal of petitions against it in the supreme court. On 2 October the Bihar government released preliminary data from the survey, with the full detailed report being publicly released in the state assembly on 7 November 2023. On 26 June 2024, the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Central government to immediately commence census work along with a caste based population census, however the Chief Minister M. K. Stalin declined to conduct a Bihar style caste survey, as any changes made to reservation based on a survey by the state government could be struck down by the courts, while contending that a full-fledged census can be legally only conducted by the Central government under the Census Act, 1948. In July 2024, Central Minister Chirag Paswan backed the demand for conducting a caste census as part of the 2021 census, however he opposed its data from being publicly revealed as he believed it will lead to division in society.
During the 2024 general elections, the inclusion of a caste census became a key demand of the opposition INDIA alliance led by the Congress.
On April 30 2025, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided to include caste enumeration (caste census) in forthcoming census exercise. The 2027 census will record individual's specific jati rather than broad categories, like OBC or Upper caste.