New Delhi: India on Wednesday began the first phase of Census 2027, marking the country’s 16th population enumeration exercise, the eighth since Independence, and the first to be conducted digitally with an option for self-enumeration. The exercise is set to be the world’s largest population count.
The House Listing and Housing Census phase, which runs in staggered schedules across states and Union Territories, began today. For the first time, enumerators will collect and submit data through a mobile application using smartphones, replacing the traditional paper-based system. Residents can also submit details online via a self-enumeration portal available in 16 languages, including Hindi and English. Respondents can log in with their mobile number, fill in household details, and receive a unique Self-Enumeration ID to be shared with enumerators.
The first phase will focus on housing conditions, household amenities, and assets, gathering information on construction materials, number of residents, ownership status, availability of water, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, and access to assets such as vehicles, mobile phones, and internet services. The government had notified the 33 questions for this phase in January 2026.
States including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Sikkim will conduct house listing from April 16 to May 15, with self-enumeration from April 1 to April 15. Another group, including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana, will carry out house listing from May 1 to May 30, preceded by self-enumeration from April 16 to April 30.
The second phase, Population Enumeration, is scheduled for February 2027, while snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh will follow an earlier schedule starting September 2026. The reference date for Census 2027 is 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, with October 1, 2026 as the reference for snow-bound areas. This phase will also include caste enumeration, the first since 1931.
More than three million enumerators, supervisors, and officials will be involved nationwide. The Union government has approved an outlay of ₹11,718.24 crore to cover technology, logistics, and training. Extensive arrangements have been made for training, with thousands of trainers preparing field staff, alongside systems to ensure robust data security.
The digital tools, real-time monitoring, and self-enumeration are expected to improve accuracy, reduce errors, and encourage wider participation. The portal supports multiple languages, and citizens do not need any documents to submit their data.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to citizens is seen as a push to promote digital adoption and ensure wider coverage. Data collected will be used strictly for statistical purposes, with data centres designated as critical information infrastructure.
After a 16-year gap since the last census in 2011, the digital approach is expected to deliver faster, more reliable data, supporting governance, policy planning, welfare schemes, resource allocation, and development strategies across the country.