Full Breakdown
Census 2027 Population Enumeration Schedule Announced
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In this breakdown
01
Core Event – Nationwide Enumeration Timeline
On October 30 2026, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan notified that the population-enumeration phase of Census 2027 will be carried out from January 25 to February 28 2027 across the country. A revisional round is slated for March 1 to March 5 2027, and the official reference date for the count is set at 00:00 hours on March 1 2027.
The notification also creates a self-enumeration window from January 10 to January 24 2027, allowing households to submit their details online before enumerators begin door-to-door visits.
02
Background & Context – Delays, Digital Shift, and New Questions
The decennial census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, making the 2027 exercise the first since the 2011 count. The current round is the eighth census since Independence and will be conducted digitally, with enumerators using mobile applications and a multilingual online portal.
A notable change is the inclusion of comprehensive caste enumeration. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs approved this expansion on April 30 2025, moving beyond the previous focus on only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Enumerators will ask 40 questions, 13 of which are new and cover caste (beyond Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)), religion, parents’ details, number of bank accounts, spouse’s name, nationality, digital literacy, permanent address, COVID-19 vaccination place, passport number, driving-license availability, and Aadhaar/Voter-ID numbers.
03
Data & Statistics – Scope and Funding
- Budget: The Union Cabinet has approved an outlay of INR 11,718 crore (INR 11,718.24 crore in later statements) for Census 2027.
- Geographic coverage: The enumeration will include 36 states and Union Territories, 7,092 sub-districts, 5,128 statutory towns, 4,580 census towns, and roughly 6.39 lakh villages.
- Exclusions: The schedule does not apply to Manipur (till further declaration), the poll-bound states Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, the Union Territory Ladakh, and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
04
Official Statements & Responses – Government Rationale
Mritunjay Kumar Narayan explained that the staggered schedule—advancing the poll-bound states to November 16 2026 to January 5 2027 with a self-enumeration portal launch on November 16 2026 and door-to-door work beginning December 1 2026—was intended to avoid clashes with upcoming assembly elections in those regions.
05
Conflicting Reports & Gaps – Schedule Details for Poll-Bound States
Sources differ on the exact timing for the poll-bound states. The Hindu notes a November 16 2026 to January 5 2027 window, while several other outlets focus solely on the January 25 to February 28 2027 national schedule and do not specify the earlier phase. No alternative timetable for the excluded regions has been released, leaving a gap in how those areas will be covered later.
06
What’s Next – Upcoming Milestones
- January 10 – January 24 2027: Self-enumeration portal operates nationwide.
- January 25 – February 28 2027: Door-to-door population enumeration across all non-excluded states and Union Territories.
- March 1 – March 5 2027: Revisional round to verify and correct the collected data.
These steps will culminate in the first fully digital, caste-inclusive census in India’s history, providing a refreshed demographic baseline for policy planning and resource allocation.