India set to launch largest-ever census.

On Wednesday, India is set to embark on the world's largest census, a monumental undertaking that will involve over three million officials in a year-long counting exercise, amid the nation's struggles to provide basic necessities like electricity, food, and housing to its burgeoning population of approximately 1.4 billion people.

n

India's rapidly expanding population poses significant challenges, including water shortages, pollution, and overcrowding in its vast megacities, underscoring the need for accurate data to inform policy decisions and ensure inclusive governance.

n

The Indian government has termed the $1.24 billion census a "gigantic exercise of national importance" that will facilitate evidence-based policy formulation, while also addressing sensitive issues like caste, a millennia-old social hierarchy that continues to influence the lives of Hindus.

n

The upcoming census presents a daunting logistical challenge, particularly in comparison to India's 2024 general election, which was the largest democratic exercise in history and was conducted in seven phases over six weeks, whereas the census will be carried out in two phases.

n

The first phase of the census, commencing on Wednesday and concluding in September, will involve a month-long, staggered enumeration to record housing and amenities, combining traditional door-to-door visits with an online self-enumeration option that utilizes satellite imagery and is available in 16 languages.

n

A second phase will focus on collecting population data, including demographic, social, and economic details, as well as the contentious issue of caste, which remains a powerful determinant of social status, shaping access to resources, education, and opportunities in India.

n

The last time comprehensive caste data was collected as part of a census was in 1931, during British colonial rule, and subsequent governments have resisted updating this data, citing administrative complexity and concerns over potential social tensions, while a 2011 caste survey was never published due to inconsistencies in the data.

n

For most of the country, population enumeration will take place in the weeks leading up to the reference date of March 1, 2027, although in high-altitude Himalayan regions, including the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, it will occur ahead of October 1, 2026, before the onset of snowfall.

n

India's last census was conducted in 2011, and the 2021 round was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous census recording a population of 1.21 billion, while the United Nations estimated in 2023 that India had surpassed China to become the world's most populous country, with over 1.42 billion people.