Census 2027: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a budget of Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census in 2027. Announcing the decision during a press conference, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored
the significance of the decennial exercise, calling the Census “an important exercise for India.”
The last nationwide Census was carried out in 2011, with the 2021 round postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has now confirmed that the next Census will be held in 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
He noted that India has maintained Census records for over 150 years, emphasising the continuity and importance of this historical database. Census 2027 will be the 16th Census of India and the eighth since Independence, covering the entire population and providing granular village-, town- and ward-level data on housing, amenities, demography, education, economic activity, migration and more. The exercise is governed by the Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990.
Census To Be Conducted In 2 Phases
Vaishnaw explained that the Census, notified in the Gazette dated June 16, 2025, will be conducted in two phases.
Phase I: House Listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026, in a period of 30 days as per the convenience of the State/UT Governments.
Phase II: Population Enumeration (PE) will be held in February 2027. In the UT of Ladakh and snow-bound regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE will instead take place in September 2026 due to climatic constraints.
India’s First Fully Digital Census
He further said that the upcoming exercise will be India’s first fully digital census, with data collected through mobile applications (on both Android and iOS) and monitored in real time through the newly developed Census Management & Monitoring System (CMMS) portal.
Innovations such as the Houselisting Block Creator web map tool and an option for self-enumeration are also being introduced, he said.
Census-as-a-service (CaaS) will deliver data to ministries in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs had earlier approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in Census 2027. Caste data will be captured electronically during the Population Enumeration phase, marking the first such exercise in independent India’s decennial census.
Census 2027 will have a focused and wider publicity campaign for nationwide awareness, inclusive participation, last-mile engagement and support for field operations. It will emphasize on sharing accurate, authentic & timely information ensuring cohesive and effective outreach effort.
30 Lakh Field Workers To Conduct Census
The exercise will involve an estimated 30 lakh field functionaries, including enumerators, supervisors, master trainers and officers at district and state levels. Most enumerators—primarily government school teachers—will undertake Census duties in addition to their regular work, and all field personnel will receive an honorarium for the massive operation.
The Census is expected to generate 1.02 crore man-days of employment, as over 18,600 technical personnel will be deployed for around 550 days to support digital operations, data handling and monitoring. The government says this will also contribute to capacity-building and improve future employment prospects for those involved.
