Census 2027 to be conducted in two phases with caste enumeration: Home Ministry

New Delhi, June 4: The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that the Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases and will include enumeration of castes, marking a significant step in India’s demographic data collection efforts. According to a press release issued by the ministry, the reference date for the national Census will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. However, for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date has been set as 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026, to account for difficult weather conditions in those regions.

A notification regarding the intent to conduct the Census with these reference dates is expected to be published in the Official Gazette on June 16, 2025, under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948.

The upcoming Census will be the first in India to include caste-based enumeration along with traditional population data. The exercise will be conducted under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948, and Census Rules, 1990. The last nationwide Census was carried out in 2011, also in two phases, House Listing Operations from April to September 2010, and Population Enumeration from February 9 to 28, 2011, with the reference date being March 1, 2011. Snow-bound areas had their enumeration earlier, with a reference date of October 1, 2010. A Census was scheduled for 2021, following the same two-phase structure. Preparations were completed and fieldwork was set to commence on April 1, 2020, but the process was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.