India begins its long-awaited census, covering housing, demographics, and caste in a digital format across the nation.
India commenced its 16th national census on Wednesday, marking the first population count since 2011 and involving more than a billion people across 36 states and territories.
The census will deploy over three million officials to conduct door-to-door surveys, asking 33 questions on topics such as housing conditions, internet access, and household composition.
Census Details and Scale
For the first time, the process will be digital, with enumerators using mobile apps to collect and upload data, and residents able to self-enumerate via a 16-language online portal.
The two-phase exercise includes an initial housing and assets survey from April to May in selected regions like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Delhi, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.
India, now the world's most populous nation with over 1.4 billion people as per United Nations data from 2023, has a median age of 28 and nearly 70% of its population in the working age group.
The census will gather caste data, which is crucial for political representation and welfare programs, and covers more than 7,000 sub-districts, 9,700 towns, and 640,000 villages.
Historical Context
Previous censuses have evolved since 1872, expanding from basic headcounts to include detailed questions on identity, occupation, and social markers, with significant changes post-independence in 1947 to address economic and migration issues.
The 2021 census was delayed due to the pandemic and administrative reasons, making this the first decennial exercise to miss its schedule, and it will provide updated data for policy decisions in the absence of recent population baselines.