India’s massive Census 2027 exercise is set to begin with a pre-test phase starting this November, marking the first major step toward conducting the country’s first-ever digital and caste-inclusive census. The announcement was made through a gazette notification issued by Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan.
Pre-test exercise to start across all states and UTs
The pre-test for the first phase of Census 2027, covering Houselisting and Housing Census, will be conducted in selected sample areas across all states and Union territories from November 10 to November 30, 2025. This phase will assess preparedness for the nationwide census operations scheduled to take place between April 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027.
In a key innovation, citizens will have the option to self-enumerate, filling out their details digitally, during a special window from November 1 to November 7, 2025. This feature is being introduced for the first time in India’s census history to encourage participation and reduce enumerator workload.
Two-phase digital Census to begin in 2026
The full Census 2027 will unfold in two major phases-
- Phase 1- Houselisting and Housing Operation (HLO)-
Data will be collected on housing conditions, household assets, and access to essential amenities.
- Phase 2- Population Enumeration (PE)-
Detailed demographic, socio-economic, and cultural data will be gathered from every household.
Officials confirmed that the Population Enumeration phase is scheduled to begin on February 1, 2027.
First digital census with caste enumeration
Census 2027 will be a landmark exercise as it will be the first fully digital census in India and will also include an enumeration of citizens’ caste affiliations. The pre-test phase aims to assess the entire ecosystem of operations, including data collection methods, mobile application performance, enumerator training modules, and logistics.
Massive human resource mobilisation
More than 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.3 lakh census functionaries, will be mobilized for the full-scale exercise. They will be trained to use mobile devices and specialised applications designed for the smooth execution of this digital process.
The exercise will mark the 16th national census since the practice began and the eighth conducted after India’s Independence.
Strengthening the framework for an inclusive census
Officials emphasised that the upcoming pre-test is not merely procedural but a critical step in refining tools, technology, and methods ahead of one of the world’s largest population enumeration operations. By blending traditional fieldwork with modern digital tools and the new self-enumeration feature, Census 2027 seeks to make India’s demographic data collection more efficient, transparent, and inclusive than ever before.
