India's Census Explained: Why 2027 Count Matters & What The Caste Census Debate Is All About

New Delhi: After an unprecedented delay of six years, India is finally set to conduct its next Census, the world’s largest population-counting exercise in two phases. The government announced that the process will begin in the Union Territories of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand from midnight on October 1, 2026. For the rest of the country, March 1, 2027 will serve as the reference date.

The Census will be carried out in two key phases across all states. The first, called House Listing Operation (HLO), will collect information about each household’s housing conditions, assets, and amenities. The second phase, Population Enumeration (PE), will capture demographic, socio-economic, and cultural data about every person, including, for the first time in decades, details of their caste.

The government had earlier, on April 30, confirmed that caste enumeration, including the documentation of various castes and sub-castes and their population counts, would be part of the upcoming exercise. This landmark decision has already sparked political and policy debates across the country.

Why Is the Census So Crucial?

The Census is far more than just a headcount. Conducted every ten years since 1881, until the cycle was disrupted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it provides the most comprehensive snapshot of India’s demographic, economic, and social landscape. From language, disability and migration, to age, gender, and employment, it maps the structure of Indian society in a way no other dataset does.

The Census forms the foundation of all national surveys. Key economic indicators like the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which shapes inflation rates and monetary policy, depend on household consumption patterns initially validated by Census data. Delayed or outdated Census figures can therefore skew everything from food inflation forecasts to interest rate decisions.

Migration, one of the most misunderstood policy areas, also relies heavily on Census inputs. Contrary to public perception, the bulk of migration in India is intra-district rather than across states. This nuance, last captured in the 2011 Census, is now missing from current policymaking, impacting urban development, education budgets, and even language and cultural planning.

Moreover, in the absence of fresh Census data, governance has increasingly leaned on administrative records, which are often inconsistent across departments. For example, India’s claim of being Open Defecation Free was questioned by independent household surveys, underscoring the need for reliable, independently collected data.

What Is the Caste Census and Why Is It Controversial?

Among the most hotly debated aspects of the 2027 exercise is the inclusion of caste data. Known as a caste census, this would involve documenting an individual’s caste identity alongside other socio-economic information during the second phase of enumeration.

The last nationwide caste data was collected in the 1931 Census. Since then, while Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) have continued to be enumerated, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) were left out of national counts, despite their growing presence in political discourse. The UPA’s Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) in 2011 attempted to fill this gap, but the caste data was never released due to classification challenges and political concerns.

Demographers warn that the current exercise could be vulnerable to strategic responses, where people might misreport caste identities based on perceived advantages or disadvantages. With caste deeply entangled in access to reservations and welfare schemes, the fear is that the data could get distorted.

There is also the looming issue of delimitation, redrawing parliamentary constituencies based on updated population data. Southern states that have successfully curbed population growth fear losing representation to more populous northern states. If caste data becomes a factor in quota calculations or seat allocation, it could spark intense inter-regional tensions.

Despite these complexities, the Census remains India’s most powerful statistical tool, a mirror to the nation’s evolving identity. With every year of delay, that mirror has grown foggier. The 2027 Census, now confirmed and expanded to include caste data, may not just update numbers but reopen some of India’s most foundational debates around identity, equity, and representation.

Published on: Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 04:39 PM IST