The Census 2027 will include questions about why people migrate, how long they have stayed at their current residence, and the reasons behind their migration, the Government informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
In a written reply, Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, stated that census data are collected for each individual at the location where they are found during the enumeration period.
The minister was replying to a member’s question about whether special provisions are being made to count migrant workers and temporary residents in Census-2027, and whether a separate data collection process is planned for these groups.
Rai explained that migration data are collected for every person based on their place of birth and their place of last residence. He added that the census also gathers information on the duration of stay at the current residence and the reason for migration. He noted that the census questionnaire is notified in advance of fieldwork by the Central Government through the Official Gazette.
Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases: Phase I – House Listing and Housing Census, from April to September 2026; Phase II – Population Enumeration (PE), in February 2027.
Phase I, scheduled for April–September 2026, will occur over a 30-day period in line with state government convenience.
Population Enumeration is planned for February 2027, with a reference date at 00:00 hours on March 1, 2027, except for the Union Territory of Ladakh, the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where enumeration will occur in September 2026 with a reference date at 00:00 hours on October 1, 2026.
The exercise will be conducted digitally and will include caste enumeration, as decided by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on April 30.
Published – December 09, 2025 07:41 pm IST.
