India gears up for first digital Census in 2027, phase 1 pre-test to begin on November 10
Until 2011, Census data were recorded on paper and later digitised — a process that was both time-consuming and prone to errors. The 2027 Census will be entirely digital.
Until 2011, Census data were recorded on paper and later digitised — a process that was both time-consuming and prone to errors. The 2027 Census will be entirely digital.
Until 2011, Census data were recorded on paper and later digitised — a process that was both time-consuming and prone to errors. The 2027 Census will be entirely digital.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the pre-test for the first phase of the Census of India 2027 will be held from November 10 to 30 across selected areas in all States and Union Territories. This phase, called the Houselisting and Housing Census, marks the country’s first step towards a fully digital population census.
Until 2011, Census data were recorded on paper and later digitised — a process that was both time-consuming and prone to errors. The 2027 Census will be entirely digital, enabling faster processing, better monitoring, and real-time accuracy.
A notification issued by the Office of the Registrar General of India under the Census Act, 1948, stated that a self-enumeration facility will also be available from November 1 to 7 through the Census portal. Residents in the selected pre-test areas can log in and fill out their details online before enumerators visit their households.
Two new apps for data collection
As part of the preparations, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India this week launched two mobile applications — Digital Layout Map (DLM) and Census 2027-Houselist. These apps will be used by enumerators such as revenue officials, block development officers, and government school teachers, who have been trained to use the digital tools.
The apps, compatible with both Android and iOS devices, are available on the Google Play Store but can only be downloaded by authorised personnel. According to officials, the new system is designed to improve speed, accuracy, and reliability during data collection.
The DLM app will digitally map each houselisting block — the basic unit of data collection — and geo-tag all buildings. It will record coordinates, building names and numbers, type of construction, usage (residential or non-residential), landmarks, number of floors, and total Census houses. The government clarified that the app will not collect any personal data about residents or occupants.
The Census 2027-Houselist app, developed for the Houselisting and Housing Operations (HLO) phase, will help enumerators collect details on around 30 questions related to housing amenities.
The self-enumeration option introduced this year is aimed at boosting citizen participation. Residents in pre-test areas can enter their household information online before enumerators conduct field verification.
Both phases of the Census — houselisting and population enumeration — will be conducted between April 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027. For the first time since Independence, the upcoming population enumeration will also include data on caste.