Census 2027: Self-enumeration facility availed by 5.72 lakh households so far in first phase

A Muslim woman checks her census registration online at a registration center in Srinagar, on April 1, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP

The self-enumeration facility is available to citizens in States and Union Territories which will start physical Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) from April 16

More than 5.72 lakh households have availed the self-enumeration facility so far during the first phase of the Census 2027, the Registrar General of India (RGI) said on Friday April 10, 2026.

This reflects the growing participation in the digital initiative of the Census, it said.

“By choosing to provide their details online, these families have embraced a faster, smarter and a more convenient way to contribute to nation-building,” the RGI said in a post on X.

The self-enumeration facility is available to citizens in States and Union Territories which will start physical Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) from April 16.

The Census 2027 kick-started on April 1 in eight States and Union Territories, including New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantt areas of the national capital, with a 15-day self-enumeration window — a first in the history of the massive exercise.

A specially developed portal for self-enumeration has been opened for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Sikkim, Odisha, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, and areas under the NDMC and the Cantonment Board of the national capital, where citizens can answer the listed questions.

After providing necessary details and answering questions, the citizens will generate a special ID, which they will provide to enumerators who visit their homes during the HLO process for verification.

The Census, the eighth since independence, is being conducted in two phases — HLO Census and Population Census.

The HLO Census will systematically list all structures, houses and households throughout the country to provide a sound framework for the conduct of the population enumeration.

In a first, the exercise will be completely digital, with enumerators using a special mobile application to collect information.

During the housing listing operations, the enumerators will physically visit each house and building, and pose 33 questions to each citizen regarding basic facilities in their houses, information about the head of the household, such as the name and sex, and the ownership status, among others.

The second phase of the Census will start next year.