Census 2027 Update: Centre Announces Timeline for First Phase Across India; All You Need to Know

The Central government has formally kick-started Census 2027 as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification on January 7 for the first phase of the 2027 census. This is going to be India's first fully digital census, nearly six years after the exercise was originally scheduled in 2021 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census of India 2027 is being considered as the world's largest statistical and administrative exercise, which is going to cover every household across the country. The government has also confirmed that caste enumeration will be included in this census.

Cabinet approval and budget allocation

The Union Cabinet had approved a budget outlay of Rs. 11,718 crore on December 12, 2025, for conducting Census 2027. The exercise will be carried out in two phases and is expected to involve nearly 30 lakh enumerators and supervisors.

Phase 1 of Census 2027 Timeline

According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the first phase of Census 2027, known as houselisting and housing census, will be conducted between April 1 and September 30, 2026, across all states and Union territories.

While the overall window spans six months, the actual fieldwork in each state and UT will be conducted over a 30-day period, with the specific dates to be notified separately by individual state governments and Union territory administrations.

Self-enumeration Option Introduced

This census is different from the previous censuses, as the Centre has introduced a self-enumeration facility for Census 2027. As per the notification:

Citizens will be able to self-enumerate within a 15-day window which will be open just before the 30-day houselisting period. Self-enumeration will be available through mobile applications (Android and iOS) and a central census portal.

Phase 2 of Census 2027 Timeline

The second phase of Census 2027, known as Population Enumeration (PE), will be carried out in February 2027. The reference date for the census will be midnight of February 28-March 1, 2027, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs.

However, in snow-bound and difficult regions such as Ladakh, parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population enumeration will be conducted earlier, starting in September 2026, to avoid weather-related disruptions.

State governments and UT administrations are expected to issue detailed schedules for the 30-day houselisting window in the coming months. Citizens are advised to participate actively by cooperating with census officials during field visits and through self-enumeration.