The National Census of India, 2027 Phase 1 notification has been issued by the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India. The Population Census, also called house-listing operations or HLO, will be conducted from April 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026.
Each State and Union Territory will complete house-listing within 30 days during this period. A self enumeration facility will be available 15 days before house-to-house visits begin. States and Union Territories will announce the self enumeration schedule separately.
The HLO phase will collect essential data on houses, households and basic amenities across the country. This information will form the foundation for the next stage of the census exercise. The entire process aims to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Phase 2 of the Census will take place in February, 2027. This phase will record individual level demographic details along with caste identity. About 30,000 field staff will be deployed, and the process will be fully digital.
Mobile applications will be used for data collection to speed up the exercise. The main objective is to gather data for the redrawing of Lok Sabha constituencies. This will be India’s first official caste enumeration after Independence.
