The large-scale campaign will cover over 1.4 billion people across all states and union territories of the country. More than three million personnel are involved in the process, which will be conducted in two phases and is expected to last about a year.
The questionnaire includes 33 questions covering housing conditions, access to infrastructure, education, employment, migration, and demographic characteristics. For the first time, data can be submitted digitally via a multilingual online platform.
The first phase, known as the House Listing and Housing Census, focuses on collecting information about households and living conditions. The second phase, scheduled for February 2027, will involve detailed population enumeration, including sensitive indicators such as caste.
India, which became the world’s most populous country in 2023, remains one of the youngest nations, with a median age of around 28 and nearly 70% of its population of working age.
The lack of updated data since 2011 has complicated planning and the assessment of socio-economic processes.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the census in India, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with technical and logistical challenges.
