India's 2027 Census: First-Ever Caste Enumeration and Self-Enumeration to Transform Population Data Collection

India is set to conduct its next national Census in 2027, as per a gazette notification issued by the Union Home Ministry. This will be the 16th Census since the first in 1872 and the 8th since Independence. Notably, it marks a significant transformation in methodology, featuring digital data collection, self-enumeration, and the country’s first caste-based Census since 1931.

The Census was originally scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will now be carried out in two phases: the House Listing Operation (HLO) and the Population Enumeration (PE). The HLO phase will collect data on housing conditions, assets, and amenities, while the PE phase will gather detailed demographic, socio-economic, and cultural information from every household.

According to the notification issued by Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, the reference date for most parts of the country will be March 1, 2027. However, in snow-bound regions such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the process will begin earlier, on October 1, 2026.

A major highlight of the 2027 Census is the inclusion of a caste-based enumeration, the first of its kind in nearly a century. This is expected to significantly influence caste-based reservations, particularly for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and fuel ongoing debates on social justice and resource allocation. Previously, the government, led by the BJP, had resisted the demand for a caste based census, labelling it as a divisive tactic by the Congress-led Opposition. However, the recent reversal in stance underscores the political weight the Census carries.

Another game-changing aspect is the introduction of self-enumeration, which allows citizens to submit their Census data independently, without waiting for an enumerator’s visit. The Self-Enumeration (SE) Portal, developed by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI), enables users to view, update, and correct family information using an OTP-based login. It aims to streamline the Census process and reduce human error, although its implementation brings challenges such as digital literacy, data privacy, and security concerns.

The 2027 Census is expected to serve as a foundational dataset for critical national exercises, including the National Register of Citizens (NRC), delimitation of electoral boundaries, and revision of reservation policies. Experts also believe it will have long-term implications for citizenship determination, especially if the National Population Register (NPR) is expanded into a full-fledged NRC.

In total, 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.3 lakh census functionaries, will be deployed for the massive operation. As India embraces a more digital and decentralized approach to data gathering, the 2027 Census marks a historic shift in how the nation understands and governs its people.