The Government of India has officially declared that the next Census of India will be conducted in 2027, as per a fresh notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Office of the Registrar General, India.
The notification, dated June 16, 2025 states: “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), and in supersession of the notification of the Government of India… dated the 26th March, 2019… the Central Government hereby declares that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027.”
This announcement officially replaces the previous 2019 notification, although it “shall not affect anything done or omitted to be done before such supersession.”
The notification further specifies the reference date for the census across the country:
“The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours of the 1 day of March, 2027,”
except for specific regions including the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound, non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
For these areas, the census will reference an earlier date: “In respect of the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of the 1st day of October, 2026.”
The notification was signed by Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
The 2027 enumeration will be the first census after the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the 2021 decennial census.
According to The Deccan Herald, the Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases — House Listing Operation and population enumeration. Sources indicated that the first phase of census is likely to be held between April 1 and September 30 next year and the second phase in the the last 21 days of February in 2027 except for snow-clad areas where the population count is likely to be held between September 11 and 30.