The Government of India has officially notified that the next Census of India will be conducted in the year 2027. This was announced through a Gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Office of the Registrar General of India, under S.O. 2681(E), dated June 16, 2025.
Exercising powers under Section 3 of the Census Act, 1948, the notification supersedes the earlier notification issued in March 2019. The new census schedule sets the reference date as 00:00 hours of March 1, 2027 for most of the country.
However, for snow-bound and non-synchronous areas of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00:00 hours of October 1, 2026, in view of logistical challenges caused by extreme winter conditions in those regions.
The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mr. Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, signed the notification, paving the way for the launch of extensive preparations across the country.
The 2027 census will be India’s first after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had stalled the 2021 enumeration. It is expected to provide crucial data to guide developmental planning, resource allocation, and policy-making at the national and state levels.