India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
The Centre has finalised the questionnaire for the second phase of Census 2027. The Population Enumeration, which will collect information on each individual, will include questions on caste, Aadhaar, bank accounts and COVID-19 vaccination, among others.
The second phase will go beyond the basics such as age and sex, and will include questions on education, employment, migration, family and possession of documents. The government has decided to include caste in Census 2027.
India’s Census 2027 Population Enumeration questionnaire is finalized, including caste, Aadhaar, bank accounts, and COVID-19 vaccination, with the digital census set for Feb 2027 nationwide (Sept 2026 in snow-bound areas).
Here is the full list of questions
The questionnaire, as notified, will have 40 questions, including:
1. Name
2. Relation to head of the household
3. Sex
4. Date of birth
5. Age
6. Marital status
7. Age at marriage
8. Name of spouse
9. Nationality
10. Religion
11. Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and caste
12. Father’s particulars
13. Mother’s particulars
14. Disability
15. Mother tongue
16. Other languages known
17. Literacy
18. Digital literacy
19. Currently studying
20. Highest education
21. Education: field/stream
22. Status of work
23. Nature of work
24. Occupation
25. Industry, trade or service
26. Class of worker
27. Activity of persons not classified as workers
28. Status of non-workers: seeking or not available for work
29. Travel to work
30. Place of birth
31. Place of last residence
32. Reason for migration
33. Duration of stay at present address
34. Permanent address
35. Number of surviving children
36. Number of children ever born
37. Number of children born during the last year
38. Place of COVID-19 vaccination
39. Particulars of bank accounts, mobile number, Aadhaar, Voter ID and passport
40. Possession of driving licence
Enumeration of caste to be a major feature
The caste, which is a sensitive issue, will be an important feature of the second phase. The government had decided to undertake caste enumeration alongside the Census 2027, which will be a major change from the previous population census.
The questionnaire also seeks to capture information that will give an overall picture of the socio-economic status of individuals. There will be questions on education, employment, migration, fertility and possession of documents and bank accounts.
Census 2027 will be digital census
Census 2027 is expected to be India’s first digital census. While the enumerators will use mobile apps for collecting information, the residents can also self-report through an online portal. However, the officials will have to go door-to-door to collect the information, and will also verify the self-reported data.
The Population Enumeration is proposed to be conducted in February 2027 across the country, except the Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it will be conducted in September 2026.
The census process will be done in two phases. While the first phase will focus on house listing, the second phase will collect individual-wise data, including demographic, social, economic and other information.
