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New Delhi: India’s next national census, one of the world’s largest administrative and statistical exercises, will be conducted between April 2026 and February 2027, with data collection carried out primarily through a mobile application, the government announced on Friday.
The Union Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 11,718.24 crore for Census 2027, which will be implemented in two stages. The first phase, house-listing and housing census, will run from April to September 2026. The second phase, population enumeration, will continue until February 2027. In Ladakh and other snow-bound, non-synchronous regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, population enumeration will instead be held in September 2026.
A key feature of the upcoming census is the inclusion of caste enumeration. Details related to caste will be collected digitally during the population enumeration phase. Around 30 lakh field-level workers are expected to be deployed for the exercise. A central government portal will track progress and data quality in real time to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Enumerators, who are typically government schoolteachers, will visit every household with detailed questionnaires. Similar to booth-level officers involved in voter re-verification drives, including in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, these enumerators will be appointed by state governments and will continue in their regular roles alongside census duties. Additional officials at sub-district, district and state levels will also be nominated by the respective state administrations.
Once collected and analysed, the data will be made available to government ministries in machine-readable formats, enabling quicker access and easier use for policymaking, officials told NDTV. The government also aims to shorten the time taken to release census data.
Several new digital initiatives are being introduced for Census 2027. For the first time, data will be captured entirely through mobile applications compatible with Android and iOS devices. A Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal has been developed to oversee operations in real time, while a House-listing Block creator web-based map application will assist field planning. Citizens will also be given the option to self-enumerate. Authorities said robust data security measures have been built in to protect personal information.
The census will be supported by a nationwide publicity campaign focused on awareness, inclusive participation, last-mile outreach and operational support. Emphasis will be placed on collecting accurate, authentic and timely data to maximise its policy impact.
Officials said the exercise will generate significant employment, amounting to about 1.02 crore man-days. Beyond short-term jobs, the process is expected to build skills in digital data handling, monitoring and coordination, potentially improving future employment prospects for participants. Census 2027 will be India’s sixteenth census and the eighth since Independence, remaining the country’s most comprehensive source of primary data at the village, town and ward levels.
