India’s next population census will be held in two phases — October 1, 2026, in snow-bound northern regions, and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced.
The Government of India has announced that the next population census will be conducted in two phases, starting from October 1, 2026, and continuing on March 1, 2027.
The official notification was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
As per the notification (S.O. 2681(E)), the reference date for most parts of the country will be 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027. However, due to harsh weather conditions and difficult terrain, a separate schedule has been fixed for Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and the snow-covered areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In these regions, the census will take place earlier, with a reference date of 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
This decision overrides the earlier notification from March 2019, which had set the framework for the now-delayed census. The last census in India was conducted in 2011, and the 2021 census was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The upcoming census will be the 16th national population census and the 8th since Independence. It will provide crucial data for planning government policies, development schemes, and welfare programs across the country.
The notification was signed by Mr. Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
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