India begins counting more than a billion people in massive census

The two-phase exercise - the world’s most ambitious - will see three million officials count every Indian.

India's 2027 Census will commence its first phase on April 1, 2026, marking the first fully digital census with a self-enumeration option.

India's first fully digital census starts on April 1, 2026, aiming to transform data collection with mobile apps, self-enumeration, and real-time monitoring for faster, more accurate governance.

The 2027 Census will be conducted digitally in two phases, with enumerators using a specially developed mobile application to collect data, marking India's 16th Census and its eighth since Independence.

The government has clarified that live-in couples considering their relationship a stable union will be treated as married in the upcoming Census 2026, as per the released FAQs.

The 2027 Census will be conducted digitally for the first time, introducing self-enumeration from April 1 to 15, followed by House Listing and Housing Census from April 16 to May 15, 2026.