India Census 2027 Quick Guide
India's 16th National Census & First Fully Digital Population Count
The census follows a structured rollout across 36 states and Union Territories starting in April 2026.
- Phase I: Houselisting and Housing Census (April – September 2026)
- Focus: Housing conditions, amenities (water, electricity, sanitation), and assets (smartphones, vehicles).
- Field Work: Continuous 30-day period within this window.
- Phase II: Population Enumeration (February 2027)
- Focus: Individual demographics (age, education, occupation).
- Caste Census: First comprehensive nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.
For the first time in Indian history, Census 2027 offers a self-enumeration (SE) facility, allowing residents to submit their household information online before an enumerator visits. This digital-first approach aims to improve data accuracy and offer greater privacy.
The self-enumeration window opens for 15 days immediately preceding the 30-day house-to-house fieldwork in each State/UT.
Follow these 9 steps to complete your self-enumeration digitally on the official portal (It takes approximately 15–20 minutes to complete).
Below is the tentative schedule for the Self-Enumeration (Phase I: Houselisting and Housing Census) across various States and Union Territories in 2026. Please note that these dates are subject to change by the Census authorities.
The self-enumeration window for India's Census 2027 is a 15-day period that immediately precedes each state's 30-day Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) phase. This digital-first option allows residents to submit their details via the official Self-Enumeration Portal before an enumerator's physical visit.
| State/UT | Self-Enumeration Period | Houselisting and Housing Census Period |
|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi (New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board), Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Sikkim | 1 April to 15 April | 16th April to 15th May |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 5 April to 19 April | 20 April to 19 May |
| Uttarakhand | 10 April to 24 April | 25 April to 24 May |
| Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana | 16 April to 30 April | 1 May to 30 May |
| Bihar | 17 April to 1 May | 2 May to 31 May |
| Telangana | 26 April to 10 May | 11 May to 9 June |
| Punjab | 30 April to 14 May | 15 May to 13 June |
| Delhi (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Rajasthan | 1 May to 15 May | 16 May to 14 June |
| Uttar Pradesh | 7 May to 21 May | 22 May to 20 June |
| Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Puducherry | 17 May to 31 May | 1 June to 30 June |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1 June to 15 June | 16 June to 15 July |
| Kerala and Nagaland | 16 June to 30 June | 1 July to 30 July |
| Tamil Nadu and Tripura | 17 July to 31 July | 1 Aug to 30 Aug |
| Assam | 2 Aug to 16 Aug | 17 Aug to 15 Sep |
| Manipur | 17 Aug to 31 Aug | 1 Sep to 30 Sep |
| Jharkhand and Gujarat | Period to be notified | Period to be notified |
| West Bengal | To be decided | To be decided |
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the following 33 questions for the House Listing and Housing Census schedule. These questions help the government understand living conditions across every household in India.
Section A: Building and House Details
Section B: Household Information
Section C: Household Amenities and Basic Services
Section D: Household Assets, Food and Communication
Note: Questions marked with an "*" asterisk will not be available during self-enumeration. However, the census enumerators will collect information for these specific questions when they visit your home.
The following tables detail the approved honorarium amounts for Census 2027 functionaries as specified in the document:
(a) Enumerators and Supervisors
| Sl. No. | Phase(s) | Amount (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phase-I: Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) | 9,000 |
| 2 | Phase-II: Population Enumeration (PE) | 16,000 |
| Total Honorarium | 25,000 | |
(b) Other Census Functionaries
| Category | HLO (in ₹) | PE (in ₹) | Total (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Nodal Officer | 30,000 | 45,000 | 75,000 |
| Other officers/officials at State/UT level (maximum 5 per State/UT) | 12,000 | 18,000 | 30,000 |
| Principal Census Officer, Addl. Principal Census Officer, Divisional Commissioner(where exists) | 25,000 | 35,000 | 60,000 |
| District Census Officer, City Census Officer, Addl. District Census Officer, District Informatics Officer (DIO) and Other District Census officers/officials in the District (maximum 8 per district) | 20,000 | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| Sub-Division Officer, Charge Officer, Addl. Charge Officer | 20,000 | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| Census Clerk in Charge Office (1 in each Charge) | 12,000 | 18,000 | 30,000 |
- No Documents Required: Citizens do not need to show or upload any documents like Aadhaar, Voter ID, or PAN cards during the enumeration process.
- Absolute Confidentiality: Under Section 15 of the Census Act, 1948, individual census records are not open to inspection by anyone, including government officials or the public.
- Inadmissibility in Court: Individual responses cannot be used as evidence in any civil or criminal court proceedings. This ensures that information shared during the census cannot be used against a person in legal matters.
- No Individual Benefit/Harm: Personal data cannot be used to determine eligibility for government schemes or individual benefits. It is purely a statistical exercise for national planning.
- Exclusion from RTI: Census data is expressly barred from disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
- Aggregated Summaries Only: Only anonymised, aggregated statistical data (such as total population counts for a village or literacy rates for a district) are released to the public and used for policy-making.
Information by Harish, BESCOM, Bengaluru
