India to Conduct Nationwide Population Census with Caste Enumeration in Two Phases Starting 2026
In a significant development, the Ministry of Home Affairs has officially announced the timeline and methodology for the upcoming nationwide Population Census-2027, which will, for the first time, include caste enumeration.
The landmark exercise will be carried out in two phases, with different reference dates for specific regions, especially those affected by extreme weather conditions.
According to the ministry’s statement released on Wednesday, the reference date for most parts of the country has been fixed as March 1, 2027, at 00:00 hours.
However, given the unique climatic challenges faced by some regions, a separate reference date has been designated for the snow-bound areas.
The census operations in these remote and high-altitude areas—including the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the non-synchronous snow-bound regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand—will use October 1, 2026, at 00:00 hours as the reference date for data collection.
These areas often become inaccessible during winter months, prompting the need for early enumeration.
The Ministry also confirmed that a formal notification declaring the intent to conduct the census exercise, along with the inclusion of caste-based data, will be published in the official Gazette, most likely on June 16, 2025.
This publication will be by Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, which provides the legal framework for initiating the decennial population census in India.
The upcoming Census-2027 will be conducted under the legal provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and the accompanying Census Rules of 1990.
These legislations guide the procedures and protocols for data collection, management, and dissemination during the national population enumeration process.
The last full-fledged census in India took place in 2011 and was carried out in two distinct phases.
The 2021 Census, initially scheduled to be conducted similarly in two phases—the first between April and September 2020, and the second in February 2021—had to be indefinitely postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By early 2020, all preparations for Phase I of the 2021 Census had been completed, and the fieldwork was set to commence in various states and Union Territories from April 1, 2020.
However, as the pandemic gripped the nation and imposed widespread restrictions, the census exercise was put on hold to ensure public safety and health.
In recent months, the central government has made the decision to incorporate caste enumeration as a key component of the upcoming census.
This move is aimed at generating comprehensive socio-economic data that can be used for informed policymaking and resource allocation.
It also marks a historic shift, as the last time caste data was collected comprehensively during a census was back in 1931, during the British era.
With the announcement of the revised timeline and methodology, the government has signaled its renewed commitment to undertaking this large-scale demographic exercise.
The Population Census-2027, along with caste data, is expected to provide critical insights into the composition of Indian society, helping address gaps in welfare delivery, social justice, and development planning.
The Ministry emphasized that the exercise will be carried out with due diligence, accuracy, and adherence to established protocols to ensure the credibility and usefulness of the data collected.
Further operational details and guidelines are expected to be released closer to the commencement of the fieldwork.
