Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Census 2027
"India's 16th census and first-ever digital census; House Listing began April 2026, with caste enumeration returning for the first time since 1931."
Census 2027 is India's 16th decennial census and its first conducted digitally through a mobile application, with an optional online self-enumeration facility in 16 languages. It is run by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is conducted in two phases: House Listing and Housing Census (April to September 2026) and Population Enumeration (February 2027), with a reference date of March 1, 2027 (October 1, 2026 for snow-bound areas). It is the first census to enumerate caste since 1931, following the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decision of April 30, 2025. It is also India's first postponed decennial census since 1871, having been delayed from 2021 due to COVID-19.
GS1 (society, population) and GS2 (governance). Prelims: first digital census, self-enumeration, 16th census, caste enumeration since 1931, conducted by RGI under MHA. Mains: implications of caste enumeration for social justice and welfare targeting; data privacy and the digital divide in a self-enumerated census.
- 1 16th census of India; first since Independence to be delayed (was due 2021)
- 2 First fully digital census via mobile app; optional self-enumeration in 16 languages
- 3 Phase 1 (House Listing and Housing Census): April to September 2026
- 4 Phase 2 (Population Enumeration): February 2027; reference date March 1, 2027
- 5 Snow-bound areas (Ladakh, parts of J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand): Phase 2 in autumn 2026
- 6 First caste enumeration since 1931 (CCPA decision of April 30, 2025)
- 7 House-listing schedule has 34 questions (per the notified schedule)
- 8 Conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, under MHA
- 9 Notified under the Census Act, 1948
- 10 Will reset delimitation and women's reservation timelines tied to the first census after 2026
In April 2026, the House Listing phase of Census 2027 began across India, making it the country's first census where residents can self-enumerate their household details online.
