Census to be done in two phases between April 2026 and February 2027, says government

Population Census 2026: The Union government on Tuesday announced that the next national Census exercise will be conducted between April 2026 and February 2027 in two separate phases, with preparations currently underway to finalise the questionnaire. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that the Census — delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — has been rescheduled for 2027.

"The Government has decided to conduct Census in 2027. The intent of the Government for conducting Census has been notified in the Gazette dated 16th June, 2025.

The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases namely Phase I - House Listing and Housing Census from April to September, 2026 in a period of 30 days as per the convenience of the State/UT Governments followed by Phase II - Population Enumeration (PE).