After an unprecedented delay of seven years, India’s population census—the single largest administrative exercise in human history—is returning to the field. The Census of India 2027, to be rolled out in two phases between 2026 and 2027, is poised to mark a technological and methodological watershed.

For the first time, the entire enumeration will be conducted primarily through digital tools—tablets, mobile apps and online self-reporting—ushering in a paradigm shift in how demographic and socio-economic information is collected, verified and aggregated in the world’s largest democracy.