India notifies Census 2027 with first caste enumeration since 1931

The Indian government officially issued the Gazette notification for the Census 2027 on June 16. This marks the country’s first complete population census since 2011 and the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.

The population count will unfold in two phases:

Phase I (Houselisting): Covering housing conditions, assets, and amenities, set to begin October 1, 2026, in snow-bound areas such as Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Phase II (Population Enumeration): Starting March 1, 2027, across the rest of India for complete individual-level demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and caste data.

Officials confirm the exercise will be India’s first fully digital census, with an estimated 3.4 million enumerators and supervisors and 130,000 census officials using mobile apps and a self-enumeration portal in 16 Indian languages.

Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a preparation review on June 15, emphasizing robust data security and a digital-first approach. He highlighted the importance of including caste information to guide more equitable welfare policies .

The caste enumeration will list individual castes—rather than broad groupings—paying particular attention to transparent data collection without altering existing reservation limits, which remain capped at 50%.

In line with the 84th Constitutional Amendment, this detailed count will inform future parliamentary and state delimitation exercises and the implementation of women’s reservation in legislative bodies.