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.

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.

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.