Overview
- The census opened on Saturday with a 15-day self-enumeration portal that runs through August 15, after which enumerators will begin scheduled field verification and houselisting visits in mid-August.
- Officials say the two-stage approach lets households enter details online first and then lets trained enumerators verify submissions and complete tablet-based data capture during door-to-door visits.
- The houselisting schedule uses a 33-question form to record housing type, utilities, assets and distinct households within a single dwelling — an effort officials describe as counting separate 'kitchens' not just houses.
- Local administrations are running intensive outreach to close digital gaps, including cash draws, social-media contests, free branded transport services and student-led drives to help households complete self-enumeration.
- Authorities stress legal protections under the Census Act and digital encryption to keep individual records confidential, and they say the collected data will be used in aggregated form to shape planning, welfare allocation and the February 2027 population enumeration.