India to conduct Population Census 2027 in two phases
Enumeration to include caste data; reference date fixed for March 1, 2027, with exceptions for snow-bound regions
The Centre will conduct the population Census 2027 in two distinct phases, along with the enumeration of castes. The reference date for most parts of the country will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027.
Special schedule for hilly areas
For Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
"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," the government said in a notification on Wednesday (June 4).
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Official notification soon
The notification outlining the intent to conduct the Census, in accordance with the stated reference dates, will be published in the official gazette on June 16, 2025. This is as per Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. Legal framework India’s census operations are governed by the Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990.
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Previous Census timelines
The last Census was held in 2011 in two phases: the House Listing phase from April to September 2010, and the Population Enumeration from February 9 to 28, 2011. Snow-bound areas had a different schedule from September 11 to 30, 2010, with October 1, 2010, as the reference date.
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Postponement of Census 2021
The Census originally planned for 2021 was also intended to follow the two-phase structure. The first phase was set for April to September 2020, and the second for February 2021. Although preparations were completed and fieldwork was scheduled to begin on April 1, 2020, in some States and Union Territories, the COVID-19 pandemic forced its indefinite postponement.