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India Plans Fully Digital Census in 2027 With Mobile Data Collection

Government is deploying multi-language apps featuring pre-coded responses alongside a monitoring portal to streamline the two-phase enumeration

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Census officials collect details from village women during first phase of the census at Hatkhuwapara Village, near the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati April 1, 2010 for the 2011 census. (Photo: Reuters)

Overview

  • Mobile apps supporting 16 languages will use dropdown menus, pre-filled records and intelligent character recognition to speed data entry and editing
  • A Census Management and Monitoring System portal developed by the Office of the Registrar General will oversee field operations and data quality
  • The census will proceed in two stages, with nationwide house-listing in 2026 followed by population enumeration beginning February 2027 under a March 1 reference date
  • For the first time, citizens can self-enumerate using the mobile apps, eliminating the need for bulky paper schedules
  • Officials project that digital collection and processing will yield final population figures within nine months of the March 2027 completion