The schedule for Census 2027 was announced. The first phase, House Listing Operations, will run from 1 April to 30 September 2026 across all States and UTs, with a self-enumeration facility available 15 days before house-to-house collection. The second phase, Population Enumeration, is in February 2027 and will collect caste details. It will be India's first digital Census and the 16th Census overall.