India Announces Digital Census 2027 with State-Specific Schedules

The Government of India has announced the schedule for the Census of India 2027, the first national population count in 16 years. The Union Cabinet approved 11,718 crore rupees for the operation, which will be the country's first digital census. For most of the country, house-to-house enumeration will occur from January 25 to February 28, 2027, with a reference date of March 1, 2027. Citizens can use an online portal for self-enumeration from January 10 to January 24, 2027.

Specific schedules apply to poll-bound and snow-bound regions. In Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, the process is accelerated, with self-enumeration running from November 16 to November 30, 2026, and door-to-door counts taking place from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027. Census authorities in Uttar Pradesh issued a clarification to dismiss rumors of postponement, stating that the later January-February window does not apply to these excluded regions.

While house listing operations were completed by September 30 in most areas, the exercise remains deferred indefinitely in Manipur due to violence. The census will utilize a 40-question questionnaire, including 13 new questions covering digital literacy, banking details, and caste enumeration beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Snow-bound areas in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir are also exempted from the initial January-February schedule.