How India Conducts Population Census Every 10 Years? Details Inside

According to official announcements, the 16th Census of India will be conducted in two parts. The reference dates for the majority of the country are March 1, 2027, while for remote and snow-bound areas like Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, they are October 1, 2026. This census is a landmark since it will be the first caste enumeration conducted nationwide since 1931.

On June 16, 2025, notice was published in the Gazette under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948. House-listing and dwelling enumeration will continue for several months before the population count starts in early 2027. Political discussion has already been sparked by the date, particularly in relation to its potential effects on the distribution of parliamentary seats and the future delineation of electoral areas.

Why Does India Conduct Population Census Every 10 Years?

The Population Census, conducted every 10 years, plays a very important role in India’s democracy. It serves as the foundation for allocating seats to Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes and for drawing electoral constituencies. The distribution of rations, subsidies, and central grants to states and districts is frequently based on population. Education, rural development, and other ministries use census data to identify schools, primary health facilities, and infrastructure projects. It aids in the understanding of migration, urbanization, employment, and fertility patterns by the courts, planners, and academics. In order to carry out constitutional mandates, the Census is also essential. 

The Constitution's Article 82 requires that constituencies be drawn from the most recent census. According to their respective demographic proportions, SCs and STs are granted seats in legislatures under Articles 330 and 332.

How is the Population Census Conducted?

There are two main stages to the process: the Housing Census and House-listing, and the Population Enumeration. These stages are separated by a few months, and are preceded by enumerator training, a preliminary mapping exercise, and the states freezing administrative boundaries (districts). 

It is predicted that 30 lakh enumerators—mostly school teachers—will be used to perform the census. Additionally, approximately 46,000 trainers are needed to provide the training, and nearly another 1,20,000 functionaries at the district and sub-district levels supervise, oversee, or support the Census activity.

House Listing Phase:

The house-listing phase involves visiting every building in the nation to document the features of both homes and buildings. The head of the household, the number of people living there, the building's use (residential, commercial, etc.), the materials used in its construction, the number of rooms, the state of ownership, the sources of electricity and water, the type of toilet, the fuel used for cooking, and the availability of assets like a TV, phone, car, etc. are all data that enumerators gather. 

This data aids in creating a profile of India's housing stock, living conditions, and accessibility to facilities.

This phase is typically carried out in the year before the population enumeration year, from March 1 to September 30. Different states select the months to hold the house listing exercise based on what works best for them. It is anticipated that this census will take place in 2026.

Population Enumeration Phase:

Following the housing census, the population enumeration focuses on personal information such as name, age, sex, date of birth, marital status, education, occupation, religion, caste/tribe, disability status, and migration history. For everyone, including the homeless, enumerators complete a schedule, gathering socioeconomic and demographic information that serves as the foundation of the Census database.

After being processed centrally, the data is made available in phases, starting with the preliminary population totals and progressing to more comprehensive tables that are broken down by different metrics. The procedure incorporates strong quality control measures, such as audits and rechecks.

Why Was the Population Census Not Conducted in 2021?

The Population Census did not happen in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to health and safety concerns, the government had to postpone the census to avoid the risk of spreading the virus during door-to-door data collection. As a result, the census has been delayed and has been rescheduled to 2027.