India to conduct population and caste census in 2027

INDIA will carry out its next census in 2027, the government announced on Wednesday. This will be the country’s first census since 2011 and will include the enumeration of caste, which has not been officially recorded since independence.

“It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes,” the India's Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

The main phase of the census will take place on March 1, 2027, across most of the country. However, in high-altitude regions, the exercise will be conducted earlier, on October 1, 2026, to avoid snowfall.

These areas include the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as Ladakh and the region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Caste continues to be a significant factor in Indian society, separating those of higher castes, who have historically held cultural and social advantages, from people of lower castes, who face systemic discrimination.

More than two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion population are estimated to be from lower caste groups, which form part of an ancient social structure that categorises Hindus by function and status.

The inclusion of caste data in the upcoming census was approved during a government meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May. The census had originally been scheduled for 2021.

The last time caste data was collected as part of the official census was in 1931, under British colonial rule. India gained independence 16 years later.

Since then, governments have avoided updating caste information, citing the complexity of the task and concerns about possible social tensions.

A caste survey was carried out in 2011, but its findings were never released publicly due to concerns over accuracy.

That 2011 caste survey was conducted separately from the general census held the same year, which remains the most recent demographic data collected in India.

(With inputs from agencies)