India sets dates for Census 2027 count: door-to-door enumeration from 25 January

India has set the dates for the main count of Census 2027, with enumerators due to go from house to house across most of the country from 25 January to 28 February 2027.

The schedule was set out in a notification issued on Friday, 30 October, by the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner. People will first have the chance to fill in their own details online, through a self-enumeration window running from 10 to 24 January 2027, before the door-to-door visits begin.

A revisional round to check and correct the recorded information will follow from 1 to 5 March 2027. The census will count the population as it stood at midnight — 00:00 hours — on 1 March 2027, which is the official reference date.

Not every part of India is covered by these dates. The notification leaves out Manipur, which is excluded until a further declaration, along with Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, the union territory of Ladakh, and snow-bound areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir that are counted out of step with the rest of the country. No dates were given in the notification for counting in those areas.

The population count is the second phase of Census 2027. The first phase, house listing and a housing census, began in April 2026.

Why it matters

This is India’s first census since 2011. The count was due in 2021 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, so the new figures will be the first full picture of the country’s population in 16 years.

It is also India’s first census to be carried out largely by digital means, with data collected on mobile devices and an online self-enumeration option for households. The government has said the exercise will include caste enumeration for the first time since independence, alongside the counts of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes used in earlier censuses. The approved cost of the exercise is about Rs 11,718 crore.

The results will shape how seats, funding and public services are planned.

What happens next

The self-enumeration window is due to open on 10 January 2027, followed by the house-to-house count from 25 January. Dates for the excluded states and areas have yet to be announced, and the government has not said when they will be counted.

Sources

• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/india-to-conduct-population-census-from-january-25-to-february-28-2027/article71645992.ece (The Hindu BusinessLine, 30 October 2026)
• https://hiindia.com/centre-notifies-census-2027-schedule-enumeration-from-jan-25-to-feb-28-excludes-poll-bound-snow-hit-states/ (IANS, 30 October 2026)
• https://inshorts.com/en/amp_news/dates-of-nationwide-population-census-announced-1793422933794 (Inshorts, citing The Indian Express, 31 October 2026)

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.