India Census 2027: First Caste Enumeration Since 1951 (Phase 1 began April 2026) and Policy Window for Health Disaggregation

Census 2027 marks a watershed moment in India's statistical and social history: it is the first decennial census since 1931 to include caste enumeration at the national level. The 2027 Census is India's 16th census and the first fully digital one, representing a significant methodological shift from all previous censuses.

The census is being conducted in two phases. Phase 1—House Listing and Housing Census—commenced on April 1, 2026 and continues through September 30, 2026, conducted within state-specific 30-day windows across all states and Union Territories. Each state and Union Territory has its own schedule; households can also self-enumerate online during a 15-day period before their state's scheduled house-to-house survey. Phase 2—Population Enumeration, when caste data will be collected—is scheduled for February 2027 (with exceptions for snow-bound regions, which conduct enumeration in September 2026). The reference date for the entire census is March 1, 2027.

The decision to enumerate caste represents a reversal of post-Independence policy. Following Partition and the adoption of the 1951 Constitution, the Government of India deliberatively excluded caste questions from subsequent censuses, collecting caste data only for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs approved caste enumeration on April 30, 2025, and the 2027 Census will record individual jati (specific caste) rather than merely broad categorical groupings. This granular approach promises richer data for understanding social structures and informing equity-focused policy.

Beyond caste, Census 2027 introduces other innovations: it will formally recognize stable live-in couples as married, enumerate all 21 disability categories to improve welfare targeting, and employ a fully digital workflow with mobile app-based data collection and real-time monitoring. Approximately 30 million field workers—Enumerators, Supervisors, Master Trainers, and district-level officers—will conduct the exercise. Final results are expected in late 2027 or early 2028.