Srinagar, June 16 -- The Government of India has officially announced that the next national census will be conducted in 2027, ending a prolonged hiatus since the last enumeration exercise in 2011.

The notification, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Office of the Registrar General of India, was published in the Gazette of India on June 16, 2025.

The upcoming census, mandated under the Census Act of 1948, will mark the 16th decennial population enumeration of the country. It had been previously scheduled for 2021 but was indefinitely deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent administrative delays.

According to the notification (S.O. 2681(E)), the reference date for the census across most of India will be 00:0...