Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Census 2027 Notifies 40 Questions; Caste Enumeration, Economy in Focus
The government of India is getting ready to count every person in the country.
This big count is called a Census, and the next one will take place in 2027.
The last census was in 2011, when India had about 1.21 billion people.
Now the country is getting close to having 1.5 billion people.
The Census will ask people 40 questions, including about their jobs, education, where they moved from, and whether they have bank accounts.
It will also ask people about their caste, which has not been done for everyone since India became independent.
This will be the first Census done with phones and computers instead of paper.
More than 30 lakh helpers will be involved in the enormous counting effort.
The information will help leaders plan things like schools, hospitals, roads, and jobs for the future.
The Registrar General of India notified 40 questions for the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027 on Friday, August 14, 2026.
Census 2027 includes caste enumeration for all communities for the first time since Independence, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on April 30, 2025.
The questionnaire covers employment, occupation, migration, education, digital literacy and bank accounts.
Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital Census, using mobile-based applications and an optional self-enumeration facility.
Population Enumeration is scheduled for February 2027, with a total approved outlay of ₹11,718.24 crore.
- Who
- The Registrar General of India, supported by more than 30 lakh field functionaries, conducting the count of India's population.
- What
- Notification of 40 questions for the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027, including caste enumeration for all communities and questions on work, migration, education, digital literacy and bank accounts.
- When
- Questions notified on Friday, August 14, 2026; Population Enumeration scheduled for February 2027, with September 2026 for Ladakh and snow-bound areas.
- Where
- India, including Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
- Why
- To capture how India's population has changed economically and socially since 2011, informing policy, planning and the future delimitation of constituencies.
Opposition criticism
Government decision
Caste enumeration in Census 2027
Opposition criticism
Jairam Ramesh has accused the Modi government of avoiding dialogue with the Opposition and says there is no clarity on how caste enumeration will be conducted.
Government decision
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs approved caste enumeration for Census 2027, and it will be undertaken during the second phase as the first enumeration of all communities since Independence.
- Census year
- 2027
- Questions notified
- 40
- 2011 Census population
- 1,210,854,977 (about 121 crore)
- Estimated 2026 population
- About 1.477 billion (UN World Population Prospects)
- Total approved outlay
- ₹11,718.24 crore
- Population Enumeration phase
- February 2027
- House Listing phase
- April–September 2026
- Field functionaries involved
- More than 30 lakh