Census 2027: Houselisting to be conducted across India from April 1 to September 30

The Centre formally notified on Wednesday the schedule for the houselisting phase of Census 2027, stating that the exercise will be carried out across all states and Union Territories between April 1 and September 30.

According to the government notification, each state and Union Territory will conduct houselisting operations for a continuous 30-day period within this six-month window, with the exact dates to be decided by the respective local administrations.

"Provision for self-enumeration will be available for a period of 15 days prior to the commencement of house-to-house houselisting, as per the schedule notified by each State/UT," an official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs further read.


The notification has been issued under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948 and the Census Rules, 1990, and replaces an earlier notification issued in January 2020.

The PM Narendra Modi-led central government further clarified that actions taken under the previous notification will remain valid.

The houselisting exercise forms the first phase of Census 2027.

The second phase, Population Enumeration, was initially scheduled for February 2027, although in snow-bound and non-synchronous regions including Ladakh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, population counting was expected to be conducted earlier in September 2026 due to weather constraints.

In December 2025, the Union Cabinet approved a budget of Rs 11,718 crore for conducting Census 2027, describing it as the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world.

Census 2027 will be the 16th census of India and the eighth since Independence.

Moreover, the upcoming census will be India’s first fully digital census. Data will be collected using mobile applications, supported by a central Census Management and Monitoring System and specialised digital tools for supervision and planning. Around 30 lakh field workers will be involved in the operation across the country.