India Census 2027 Quick Guide
India's 16th National Census & First Fully Digital Population Count
The census follows a structured rollout across 36 states and Union Territories starting in April 2026.
- Phase I: Houselisting and Housing Census (April – September 2026)
- Focus: Housing conditions, amenities (water, electricity, sanitation), and assets (smartphones, vehicles).
- Field Work: Continuous 30-day period within this window.
- Phase II: Population Enumeration (February 2027)
- Focus: Individual demographics (age, education, occupation).
- Caste Census: First comprehensive nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.
Citizens can fill details online via the Official Self-Enumeration Portal. The portal supports 16 languages.
1Login: Use your mobile number and OTP.
2Location: Geo-tag your exact residential building on the map.
3Fill Details: Answer 33 questions (including internet access and cereal consumption).
4ID Generation: Receive a unique Self-Enumeration ID (SE ID).
5Verification: Share SE ID with the enumerator during the door-to-door phase to avoid re-entry.
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the following 33 questions for the House Listing and Housing Census schedule. These questions help the government understand living conditions across every household in India.
Section A: Building and House Details
The enumerator records the official building number. This helps uniquely identify every structure in India.
The enumerator assigns a census house number to every unit. This number tracks individual housing units within a building.
The enumerator records the main material used to make the floor. Options include mud, wood, brick, stone, cement, and mosaic/tiles.
The enumerator notes the main material used to construct the walls. Options include grass/thatch/bamboo, plastic/polythene, mud, stone, brick, GI metal/asbestos sheets, and concrete.
The enumerator records the material used for the roof. Options include grass/thatch/bamboo, plastic/polythene, mud, stone, slate, GI metal/asbestos sheets, brick/lime/stone, tiles, and concrete.
The enumerator records what the house is used for. Options include residential only, non-residential only, or residential and non-residential both.
The enumerator assesses the physical state of the house. The options are Good, Liveable, and Dilapidated.
Section B: Household Identification and Composition
The enumerator assigns a unique household number. This links every family to their specific census record.
The enumerator counts all usual residents of the house. This includes everyone who normally lives and sleeps there.
The enumerator records the full name of the head of the household. This person serves as the primary contact for the census record.
The enumerator records whether the head of the household is male, female, or third gender. This data helps track gender representation at the household level.
The enumerator asks about the social category of the household head. The options are Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or Other.
The enumerator records who owns the house. The options are Owned, Rented, Rented-free, and Any other.
The enumerator counts only the rooms used exclusively for living. Bathrooms, verandas, and common spaces are excluded from this count.
The enumerator counts the number of married couples in the household. Live-in couples in a stable union are also counted as married for this purpose.
Section C: Household Amenities and Basic Services
The enumerator asks where the household gets its drinking water. Options include tap water from treated sources (inside or outside premises), un-treated tap water, covered well, uncovered well, handpump/tube well/borewell, spring, river/canal/tank/pond/lake, rainwater, and tanker-truck/other sources.
The enumerator asks how close the water source is to the household. Options are Within premises, Near premises (less than 0.5 km), and Far premises (0.5 km or more).
The enumerator records what the household uses for lighting. Options include electricity from grid, solar energy, kerosene, other oil, any other, and no lighting source.
The enumerator records whether the household has access to a toilet facility. Options are Within premises, Outside premises, and No latrine (open defecation).
The enumerator asks what kind of toilet the household uses. Options include flush/pour flush connected to piped sewer system, flush/pour flush connected to septic tank, pit latrine with slab/ventilated improved pit, pit latrine without slab/open pit, composting toilet, and night soil disposed into open drain or elsewhere.
The enumerator records how the household disposes of waste water. Options include piped sewer, open drain, and no outlet.
The enumerator asks whether the household has a bathing area. Options are Within premises, Outside premises, and No bathing facility.
The enumerator asks if the household has a kitchen and access to cooking gas. Options include kitchen within the house with LPG/PNG connection, kitchen within the house without LPG/PNG connection, kitchen outside the house, and no kitchen.
The enumerator asks what fuel the household mainly uses to cook. Options include LPG/PNG, firewood, crop residue, cow dung cake, coal/lignite/charcoal, kerosene, electricity, any other, and no cooking.
Section D: Household Assets and Technology Access
The enumerator asks whether the household owns a radio or transistor. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks whether the household owns a television set. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks if the household has access to the internet. This is a new question added for the first time in India Census 2027 Phase 1. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks if the household owns a laptop or desktop computer. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks if the household owns any type of phone. This includes landlines, basic mobile phones, and smartphones. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks if the household owns any two-wheeler or bicycle. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
The enumerator asks if the household owns a four-wheeled vehicle. The answer is recorded as Yes or No.
Section E: Food and Communication
The enumerator asks which grain the household mainly eats. Options include rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, and any other cereal. This is a new addition in the Census of India 2027 that was not part of the 2011 schedule.
The enumerator records one mobile number from the household. The government will use this number only for official census communication. The data remains fully confidential and cannot be used in courts or for any government benefits.
Legal Status: Participation is compulsory under the Census Act, 1948.
- No Documents Required: No Aadhaar or Voter ID is needed; data is recorded based on self-declaration.
- Confidentiality: Data is protected by law. No individual data can be used in courts or for individual benefits; only aggregated summaries are released.
Information by Harish, BESCOM, Bengaluru
