India Launches Census 2027: Digital Self-Enumeration Begins Today for World’s Largest Population Survey

NEW DELHI, April 1, 2026 — India has officially commenced the first phase of Census 2027, marking the start of the 16th national census and the 8th since Independence.

This monumental exercise, the largest of its kind globally, begins today with the introduction of a pioneering Self-Enumeration portal, allowing citizens to securely submit their details online in 16 languages until April 15.

Following this digital-first window, the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) will run from April 16 to May 15 across eleven states and Union Territories, including Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, and parts of the National Capital.

This initial phase involves the comprehensive mapping and geo-tagging of structures to assess housing conditions and amenities, with each building assigned a unique identification number.

The central government has allocated a budget of ₹11,718 crore for this high-tech census, which utilizes a reference date of March 1, 2027, for the general population and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound regions like Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), is scheduled for February 2027 and will notably include a caste enumeration process.

Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan has emphasized that robust data security measures are in place to protect citizen privacy, urging the public to provide accurate information to surveyors as the nation transitions from digital self-reporting to door-to-door verification to ensure a precise demographic snapshot of the country.