India trials digital systems for world's largest census

Highlights

• India trials mobile app-based census system starting 10 November in Karnataka.
• First fully digital census scheduled for 1 March 2027, first count since 2011.
• Will include controversial caste enumeration, first such exercise since 1931.

India has begun testing mobile software systems ahead of its 2027 census, which will be the world's largest and the country's first fully digital population count.

The upcoming census will be India's first since 2011 and will, for the first time since independence, register people's castes, a politically sensitive exercise last undertaken in 1931 under British rule.

A 20-day trial commences on 10 November in selected areas of Karnataka state in southern India. The pilot will test a mobile app-based data collection system and self-enumeration options designed to replace traditional paper-based methods.

"The objective is to assess the functioning and efficiency of the digital application across diverse areas from urban regions to those with limited mobile network connectivity," the ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement, calling it "a significant step towards India's first-ever fully digital census."

The exercise presents an immense logistical challenge. While voting in the 2024 general elections was electronic and took place in seven phases over six weeks, a census must be conducted simultaneously to capture a single snapshot of the population and avoid double-counting.

The main count is scheduled for 1 March 2027. However, in high-altitude Himalayan regions including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, and the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir enumeration will begin earlier on 1 October 2026, before snowfall commences.

Caste count controversy

Caste remains a powerful determinant of social status in India, shaping access to resources, education and opportunity. More than two-thirds of India's 1.4 bn people are believed to belong to historically disadvantaged communities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party previously opposed caste enumeration, arguing it would deepen social divisions, but backed the survey in May.

Proponents maintain detailed demographic data is crucial for targeted social justice programmes, including earmarking university seats and government jobs for socially disadvantaged communities.
A caste survey conducted alongside the 2011 census was never released after officials deemed the results inaccurate.