Archive · 13 Nov 2025
India to Conduct Comprehensive Nation-Wide Migration Survey Starting July 2026
India's statistics office is planning a big survey about people moving around the country.
It will start in July 2026 and last for a full year.
This survey will try to figure out how many people are moving, why they are moving, and if they are moving for a short time.
The government wants to use this information to help plan cities better, create jobs, and understand how people are doing when they move.
This is the most detailed look at moving people in India in almost 20 years.
Some things will be counted differently than before, like how they define someone moving for a short time.
They will also ask new questions to see if moving has made people's lives better, like with their money, health, or housing.
The survey will collect information from almost everywhere in India, except for some villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The government has shared a draft of the survey questions and wants people to share their thoughts by November 30.
MoSPI will conduct a year-long nation-wide migration survey from July 2026 to June 2027.
The survey aims to gather data on migration rates, reasons for migration, and short-term migration trends.
This will be the most comprehensive migration survey in India since 2007-08, with proposed changes in data collection.
Key changes include revising the reference period for short-term migration and no longer collecting data on entire household migrations.
The survey will include new questions on the impact of migration on income, health, housing, and potential future moves.
- Who
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) / National Statistics Office (NSO)
- What
- A year-long nation-wide survey on migration to collect data on migration patterns, reasons, and short-term migration trends.
- When
- July 2026 to June 2027
- Where
- Across India, excluding villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Why
- To provide reliable estimates and comprehensive data on migration to aid policymakers, planners, and researchers in areas like urban planning, employment, and social security, and to understand its socio-economic implications.
Information Collected in 2007-08 Survey
Proposed Changes for 2026 Survey
Reference Period for Short-Term Migration
Information Collected in 2007-08 Survey
Short-term migration was defined as staying away from usual residence for one month or more but less than six months.
Proposed Changes for 2026 Survey
The reference period is proposed to be revised to 15 days or more but less than six months for short-term migration.
Household Migration Data
Information Collected in 2007-08 Survey
Data on entire households migrating was collected.
Proposed Changes for 2026 Survey
Information on household migration will not be collected due to its very low incidence.
- Survey Name
- Nation-wide Survey on Migration
- Conducting Body
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) / National Statistics Office (NSO)
- Survey Period
- July 2026 - June 2027
- Purpose
- To generate reliable estimates on migration rates, reasons for migration, short-term migration trends, and to understand labour mobility, urbanisation, remittances, and social/economic integration.
- Previous Comprehensive Survey
- 64th round of National Sample Survey (NSS) in 2007-08
- Recent Migration Data Source
- Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 and Multiple Indicator Survey (2020-21)
- Excluded Areas
- Villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
