India has set Jan. 25 to Feb. 28, 2027, for the main phase of its first population census since 2011, with separate regional calendars staggering the count across most states and union territories.
The government describes the census as a two-phase exercise: house listing and housing data collection, followed by population enumeration. India last conducted a census in 2011; the government postponed the 2021 count because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials count the 2027 round as the 16th census overall and the eighth since independence. They say census results help guide public services, development planning and welfare programs.
An Oct. 30 notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sets the population-enumeration period for the areas covered by the order and schedules a revision round for March 1-5. The notice sets March 1, 2027, as the census reference date, but does not specify a time zone.
Manipur is excluded from the latest schedule “till further declaration,” the notification says. Several other regions have separate calendars. Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and non-snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand are scheduled for enumeration from Dec. 1, 2026, to Jan. 4, 2027, with a revision period from Jan. 5-9.
Ladakh and designated snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were assigned an enumeration period of Sept. 1-30, 2026, followed by revisions from Oct. 1-5. That schedule sets Oct. 1, 2026, as the census reference date; its time zone is also unspecified.
For areas covered by the Oct. 30 order, online self-enumeration is scheduled to open Jan. 10, 2027, and run through Jan. 24, ahead of the main count.
