India Begins Census 2027, Its First Fully Digital Census

On 1 April 2026, India began Phase I of Census 2027 with the launch of digital self-enumeration and the first cohort of the Houselisting and Housing Census. The exercise is India’s 16th census and eighth since independence, and the first conducted with digital data capture and a self-enumeration option. Phase I rolled out state by state through September, while the population-enumeration phase was scheduled for 2027 and includes caste enumeration.