Why India will hold census after 15 years, beginning in 2026
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Why India will hold census after 15 years, beginning in 2026
India will carry out its overdue population census, along with caste enumeration, in two phases. The first phase will begin in October 2026 in the snowy states and Union Territories of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. For the rest of the country, the exercise will begin from March 2027. The decennial census was last held in 2011. The next enumeration was to be done in 2021, but the Centre postponed it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been 14 years since India last held its population enumeration. The data revealed the country had 4,147 castes besides depressed classes or Dalits. A caste census tabulates the castes of all Indians, particularly the Other Backward Classes or OBCs. It is a two-step process, beginning with house-listing and numbering exercise. After this, the counting of population is done. The numbers reveal India’s population as on midnight on March 1 in the census year.
India will carry out its population census in two phases. The first phase will begin in October 2026 in the snowy states and Union Territories of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
The enumeration exercise, which will also entail a caste census, will be conducted for the rest of the country with the reference date of March 1, 2027. “The notification for the intent of conducting the Population Census with these reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on 16.06.2025, as per provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948″, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday (June 4).
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The decennial census was last held in 2011. The next enumeration was to be done in 2021, but the Centre postponed it due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Let’s take a closer look.
India’s census history
A census is a statistical pool of information about a country’s population and its socio-economic status.
From religion, age and gender to literacy levels, housing and migration, the census contains a wide range of data about people.
The British Raj started the census exercise in 1872. Between 1881 and 1931, the Indian census listed all castes. The caste enumeration was also done in 1941 – during World War II, but the data was not released.
Caste was last enumerated in 1931 in the then undivided India. The data revealed the country had 4,147 castes besides depressed classes or Dalits.
A caste census tabulates the castes of all Indians, particularly the Other Backward Classes or OBCs.
The first census in independent India was conducted in 1951. Since then, the exercise has not included the enumeration of castes, except for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
This will change as India holds its long-overdue census soon. In April, the Centre announced it would carry out caste enumeration as part of the forthcoming regular census in a “transparent” manner. The population census 2027 will include the caste census as well.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Population Census-2027 to be conducted in two phases along with enumeration of castes
Read here: https://t.co/5Nt4QOPqda@HMOIndia @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/avUqB878d2 — Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) June 4, 2025
How census is conducted
It is a two-step process, beginning with house-listing and numbering exercise. After this, the counting of population is done.
For house-listing, the details of all buildings – permanent or temporary – are gathered, along with their type, assets and amenities. After a list of all houses is prepared, the actual population enumeration is done.
As Indian Express noted, this house-listing step is generally done in the middle of the year before the census year. The counting of people traditionally takes place in February of the census year.
When this timeline is followed, the numbers reveal India’s population as on midnight on March 1 in the census year.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
A security guard (unseen) manually changes a number to update the population clock board displayed outside the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai on June 2, 2023. File Photo/AFP
Why delaying census is bad
It has been 14 years since India last held its census. The 2011 population enumeration revealed the country had 121 crore people and the sex ratio was 940 females per 1,000 males.
After the 2021 census was deferred due to Covid-19, it was the first time in India’s 150-year history of population enumeration that the exercise did not happen on time.
The Constitution mandates population enumeration, but the Census of India Act of 1948 does not specify its timing or periodicity.
Even after normalcy resumed, India did not hold its decennial census. The Centre and state governments have to rely on outdated data to formulate policies for the citizens.
The census provides accurate data that guides planning, administrative and economic decisions of the government. It is the basis for every social, economic and other indicator.
Emphasising the importance of data in a democracy, Amy Kapcynski, professor of Law at Yale School, says, “Data are not something merely wielded by democratic governments, but also something that constitutes them. Data are not simply used by democracies but play a formative role in shaping and creating the demos, the ‘we the people’ who are supposed to rule.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Only the census captures granular village-level data. According to Scroll, a census delay will affect many government policies and hurt India’s planning for its outreach programmes.
The biggest hit will be felt by India’s Public Distribution System, under which it gives subsidised food. Scroll noted that crores of people are not receiving the scheme’s benefits due to the government depending on more than a decade-old data.
However, it would not be wise to rush the process. For an error-free census, the exercise depends on the accuracy of the questionnaire. Only then can the government devise policies that favour the people.
With inputs from agencies
Census and caste enumeration dates finalised; digital census for first time in 2027
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday announced the schedule for the long-delayed Census, confirming that it will include caste enumeration. The exercise will be carried out in two phases, with reference dates set for October 1, 2026, in snow-bound regions and March 1,2027, for the rest of the country. This will be India’s first Census in more than 15 years. The last exercise was conducted in 2011. The Census scheduled for 2021 was postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an official statement, the ministry said, “The reference date for Population Census – 2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2026.”
It further noted that, “It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes.” The announcement marks the first official confirmation of the government’s plan to integrate caste data collection with the national census, a politically significant move with implications for policymaking and affirmative action.
“The notification for the intent of conducting the Population Census with these reference dates will be published in the official gazette tentatively on 16.06.2025, as per provision of section 3 of Census Act 1948,” the statement said.
This will be India’s first Census in more than 15 years. The last exercise was conducted in 2011. The Census scheduled for 2021 was postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the ministry noted, “All preparations for the first phase of the Census to be conducted in 2021 were completed and the fieldwork was scheduled to begin in some States/UTs from April 1, 2020. However, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, the census work was postponed.”
The Census is conducted under the legal framework of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. With the new timeline, preparations for one of the world’s largest population enumeration exercises are expected to resume in earnest, potentially reshaping the data landscape on social demographics, especially with the inclusion of caste data for the first time in decades.
Source: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/india-population-caste-census-beginning-2026-13894467.html