Census 2027: First phase to take place between April-September, self-enumeration option to be available

The Ministry of Home Affairs informed on Wednesday, 7 January, that the houselisting, which is the first phase of the Census 2027 will be conducted from April 1 to September 30, 2026, in all States and Union territories, including a self-enumeration option.

The notification read, "the Central Government hereby declares that the houselisting operations of the Census of India 2027 shall take place between 1" April, 2026 and 30th September, 2026 in all States and Union territories in India during the period of thirty days specified by each State and Union territory."

Self-enumeration can be done 15 days before the houselisting operations.

The notice further added, “There shall also be an option for self-enumeration which shall be conducted in fifteen days' time period just before the start of house to house houselisting operations of thirty days.”

What is houselisting?

Houselisting, a part of the Census, is a vital initial step to systematically identify and count every building and household. It involves collecting fundamental data on dwelling types, materials, amenities, including kitchen types, mode of communication, transport,and assets (TV, internet).

What did the last houselisting data highlight?

In the last Census of 2011, 58% of the households reported a bathing facility within the premises, while around half of the households had drainage connectivity, with two-thirds having open drainage and one-third having closed drainage.

61% of households have a Kitchen facility, with 55% located within the premises and 6% outside the premises. Two-thirds of the households used firewood/crop residue, cow dung cake, or coal, while 3% use Kerosene.

In terms of mode of communication, there was an increase of 16% in television usage and a corresponding decline in the use of radios. Less than 1 out of 10 households had a computer or laptop, with only 3% having internet access. The internet penetration rate stood at 8% in urban areas, compared to less than 1% in rural areas. 63% households had a telephone or mobile facility.

About Census 2027

Last month, the Union Cabinet approved the allocation of ₹11,718.24 crore for the Census of India 2027. The announcement was made by Union Cabinet Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The 2027 Census will be conducted in two phases, including Houselisting and Housing Census from April to September 2026, followed by Population Enumeration (PE) in February 2027.

The government announced on Friday, December 12, that population enumeration for Ladakh, as well as the snow-covered, non-synchronous regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, will take place in September 2026.

India's first digital Census

The 2027 Census will be India's first to be conducted digitally. The government earlier informed that data collection will be done through mobile apps available on both Android and iOS platforms.