New Delhi: The comprehensive nationwide population census, which also gathers vital socio-economic information, is slated to commence on March 1, 2027, according to government officials. However, the enumeration will start earlier—potentially as soon as October 2026—in regions experiencing heavy snowfall, including Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

The census will unfold in two distinct phases and will feature a notable new inclusion: detailed questions on caste and sub-caste identities, expanding the traditional questionnaire. On April 30, the government officially confirmed that caste enumeration—counting the numbers within various castes and sub-castes—will be part of the upcoming census.

This decision to reintroduce caste data, a demand strongly advocated by opposition parties, comes ahead of the crucial Bihar Assembly elections, where over 63 percent of the population belongs to Extremely Backward or Backward classes.

In India, the census typically occurs every ten years. The most recent full-scale population count took place in 2011, as the 2021 exercise was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the 2027 census will mark the first comprehensive enumeration in 16 years.

Opposition leaders have persistently urged the government to conduct the census, emphasizing the urgent need for accurate and current demographic and socio-economic data to inform sound policymaking.