Census 2027 Population Enumeration Dates Notified: Self-Enumeration From 10 January, House-to-House From 25 January - UPSC Notes

The Ministry of Home Affairs on 30 October 2026 notified the schedule for the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027: house-to-house enumeration from 25 January to 28 February 2027, with an optional self-enumeration window from 10 to 24 January 2027.

The reference date for Census 2027 is 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027 in most of the country; the notification (S.O. 5913(E)) was issued under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, read with rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990.

What the 30 October notification says

House-to-house population enumeration: 25 January 2027 to 28 February 2027.
Self-enumeration (optional): 10 January 2027 to 24 January 2027, just before house-to-house enumeration begins.
Revisional round: 1 March 2027 to 5 March 2027.
Reference date: 00:00 hours of 1 March 2027.
The notification applies to all States and Union territories except Manipur (deferred till further declaration), the four States with an advanced schedule (Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand), and Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (already enumerated).
Legal basis: Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), read with rules 6A and 6D of the Census Rules, 1990; signed by Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner.

The advanced schedule in four States

A separate notification (S.O. 4729(E), 5 September 2026) advanced the exercise in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and the non-snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand, which go to Assembly polls early next year.
In these areas: self-enumeration from 16 to 30 November 2026; house-to-house enumeration from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027; revisional round from 5 to 9 January 2027; reference date 00:00 hours of 5 January 2027.
Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were enumerated from 1 to 30 September 2026, with reference date 00:00 hours of 1 October 2026.
Manipur is excluded from the present declaration; enumeration there is deferred till further declaration.

What changes in Census 2027

It is India's first census conducted by digital means, and the first to offer self-enumeration.
It will be the first census since Independence to enumerate caste beyond the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; until the 2011 Census, systematic caste enumeration covered only SCs and STs, and the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided on 30 April 2025 to include caste enumeration.
The Hindu reported that the population questionnaire carries about 40 questions, of which 13 are new - among them caste beyond SC/ST, place and date of birth of both parents, number of bank accounts, spouse's name, digital literacy, permanent residential address, place of Covid-19 vaccination, and passport, driving licence, mobile, Aadhaar and voter ID details where available. The Office of the Registrar General has notified the second-phase questionnaire; rely on the notified text for the final list.

Background

The intent to conduct Census 2027 was first notified in the Gazette of India on 16 June 2025, and the Union Cabinet approved an outlay of Rs 11,718.24 crore for it.
Phase 1, the Houselisting and Housing Census, ran from April to September 2026 (30 days in each State/UT) and was completed across the country by 30 September 2026, except in Manipur.
Census 2027 is the 16th census in the Indian series and the 8th since Independence; the census due in 2021 could not be held because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs, Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner - notification S.O. 5913(E) dated 30 October 2026 and notification S.O. 4729(E) dated 5 September 2026 (Census gazette: censusindia.mha.gov.in/census.website/data/CGAZ); Press Information Bureau backgrounder on Census 2027 (pib.gov.in); The Hindu, 30 October 2026 (thehindu.com, questionnaire details); Indian Express, 6 September 2026 (indianexpress.com, four-State schedule).