Census 2027 to Ask 40 Questions, Including Caste, Vaccine and ID Details

The Union Government has notified the 40 questions that census officials will be authorised to ask during the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027. The schedule includes, for the first time in Independent India, a question on the caste of all respondents, apart from those belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The notification, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Census Act, 1948, authorises census officers to collect information through the household schedule from every person residing in their assigned areas. The exercise is part of the second phase of the decennial census.

Question number 10 on the household schedule reads “Scheduled Caste (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST)/ Caste.” Officials said the enumerator will record the caste as declared by the respondent, as it is an open column. This marks the first time in Independent India that caste will be enumerated for all communities, rather than only for SC/ST.

As reported by The Hindu on July 6, a pre-test for the Population Enumeration phase was conducted from July 1 to 20 across 16 States and Union Territories. In this rehearsal, respondents other than those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes recorded their castes in an open column, with the enumerator noting the declaration as given. The methodology is likely to be retained for the final enumeration.

Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), notified the questions. The scope of data collection has been expanded to include identification details such as Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, voter IDs, bank accounts and Covid-19 vaccination information, wherever available.

The notification comes days ahead of the start of the Population Enumeration phase. The exercise begins on August 17 in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. In the rest of the country, it will take place in February 2027.

The 40 categories of information include basic demographic details such as name, age, sex, marital status, spouse's name, nationality, religion, caste or tribe, and parental information. The questionnaire also seeks details on education and skills, including literacy, digital literacy, attendance in educational institutions, and the highest level of education attained. Language-related information, such as mother tongue and other known languages, will also be recorded.

Respondents will be asked whether they worked during the previous year, their occupation, industry or service sector, class of worker, and whether they are seeking employment. Information on travel to the workplace will also be collected.

For migration-related data, the notification provides for collection of place of birth, previous place of residence, reasons for migration and duration of stay at the current location since migration. Permanent residential address details will also be recorded.

For women who are currently married, widowed, divorced or separated, census officials will collect information on the number of children surviving, children ever born alive and, in some cases, births during the previous year.

Among the notable additions are questions on the place of Covid-19 vaccination, the total number of bank accounts, and identification-related details such as mobile number, Aadhaar number, voter ID number, passport number and driving licence availability, where applicable.