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Centre advances Census 2027 population count in Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

English हिंदी ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം தமிழ் తెలుగు

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First brief 6 Sep, 1:51 am IST Updated 6 Sep, 1:51 am IST 2 developments 3 min read Latest ↓
A person filling out the Census 2027 self-enumeration form
Photo: Prime Minister's Office / Wikimedia Commons · GODL-India

Where it stands

The new census dates for four states are notified. The counting under the new dates has not started. On 5 September 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs notified new dates for Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Population enumeration in these states will run from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027. Residents can fill their own details online from 16 November to 30 November 2026. The reference date for these states is 00.00 hours on 5 January 2027. Snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand are not covered by the new dates. The rest of India keeps population enumeration in February 2027. Assembly terms in Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand end in March 2027. Uttar Pradesh's assembly term ends in May 2027.

Background

A census counts every person in the country. India holds a census under the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990. The last census was held in 2011. The 2021 census was postponed because of COVID-19. Census 2027 is the 16th census and the 8th since independence. Census 2027 is the first digital census. Enumerators record answers on a mobile app. Census 2027 runs in two phases. Phase one is house-listing, from 1 April to 30 September 2026. Phase two is population enumeration, set for February 2027. Caste will also be counted in phase two.

How it developed

  1. 16 June 2025
    How it started

    Government notifies Census 2027 on 16 June 2025 with two reference dates

    The Ministry of Home Affairs published notification number 2681(E) in the Gazette of India on 16 June 2025. The notification used section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. The Central Government declared that a census of the population of India shall be taken during 2027. The reference date is 00.00 hours on 1 March 2027. Ladakh got 1 October 2026 as the reference date. So did the snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar Narayan signed the notification. Earlier, on 30 April 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided to include caste enumeration in the census.

    Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, IndiaPress Information Bureau, Ministry of Home AffairsPress Information Bureau, Cabinet
  2. 7 January to 30 March 2026
    New fact

    Phase dates fixed: house-listing April to September 2026, population count February 2027

    On 7 January 2026 the ministry notified the house-listing window of 1 April to 30 September 2026. Each state picked 30 days inside that window. On 30 March 2026 Registrar General Mritunjay Kumar Narayan said population enumeration would be held in February 2027. Ladakh and the snow-bound areas would be counted in September 2026. Punjab's census directorate put Punjab's population enumeration at 9 February to 28 February 2027. The exact population enumeration dates for other states were to be notified later.

    Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, IndiaPress Information Bureau, Ministry of Home AffairsPress Information Bureau, Chandigarh
  3. 5 September 2026
    New fact

    Population count in four states moved to 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027

    On 5 September 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs notified new dates for Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Population enumeration in these states will run from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027. A revisional round follows from 5 January to 9 January 2027. Self-enumeration opens from 16 November to 30 November 2026. The reference date for these states is 00.00 hours on 5 January 2027. House-listing in the four states had ended by 20 June 2026.

    Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, IndiaPTIBusiness Standard

Why it matters for UPSC

GS2 · GovernanceGS1 · Population and associated issuesPrelims · Census 2027

Census is a Union subject under Article 246, at entry 69 of the Union List. The 5 September 2026 notification changes only the population enumeration dates in four states. House-listing in those states had already ended by 20 June 2026. The reference date for those states moves from 1 March 2027 to 5 January 2027.

Key terms

House-listingHouse-listing is the first phase of the census. Enumerators list every house. Enumerators note the condition of the house, the amenities and the assets of the household. The gazette fixed this phase between 1 April and 30 September 2026. Each state chose its own 30 days. Goa listed houses from 16 April to 15 May 2026. Uttar Pradesh did so from 22 May to 20 June 2026.
Population enumerationPopulation enumeration is the second phase. Enumerators visit every household again. Enumerators record each person's demographic, social, economic, education, migration and fertility details. Caste is recorded in this phase too. Most of India will be counted in February 2027. Ladakh and the snow-bound areas are being counted from 1 September to 30 September 2026. The four states now get 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027.
Reference dateThe reference date is the moment the census describes. The population is counted as it stood at that moment. For most of India the date is 00.00 hours on 1 March 2027. For Ladakh and the snow-bound areas the date is 1 October 2026. For the four states the new date is 5 January 2027. A revisional round after the house visits updates the records up to that moment.
Self-enumerationSelf-enumeration lets a household fill the census form itself. The household logs into the census portal with a mobile number. The portal works in 16 languages. After submitting, the household gets a Self-Enumeration ID. The household gives this ID to the enumerator during the visit. In the four states the window runs from 16 November to 30 November 2026.
Caste enumerationCaste enumeration means recording every person's caste in the census. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs took this decision on 30 April 2025. The committee said caste enumeration should be part of the main census, not a separate survey. Caste was left out of every census after independence. The previous government ran a separate Socio-Economic and Caste Census instead. Caste will be recorded in the population enumeration phase.
Sources (9)
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