Counting Every Citizen Digitally: India’s Census 2027 Takes a Bold Leap

Updated: November 08, 2025 18:15

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India has launched the biggest ever digital census, testing its technology and methodology in Karnataka ahead of the 2027 national enumeration. The mobile app-based approach aims to capture population data efficiently and accurately, marking a historic shift from traditional surveys to digital innovation in the world’s largest democracy.

India is preparing to undertake the world’s largest digital census, a transformative effort that marks a significant leap in data collection for the country’s over 1.4 billion inhabitants. The trial phase of this historic census began with pre-tests in Karnataka, focusing on the mobile app designed to replace paper-based surveys and manual data entry.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for conducting the decennial census, is spearheading this ambitious project to modernize and digitize the entire census process, ensuring quick data collation, greater accuracy, and reduced logistical challenges.

Key Highlights:
Digital Innovation: For the first time, census officials will use smartphones loaded with a census application to conduct house listing and population enumeration, abandoning traditional pen-and-paper forms.

Trial and Testing: The phase I pre-test focuses on Houselisting operations in select districts of Karnataka, testing data entry, connectivity, and app performance under varied field conditions.

Real-Time Data: The digital process allows near real-time data validation and transmission to central servers, enabling faster analysis and response.

Enhanced Accuracy: Automated data capture reduces human errors, ensuring higher quality data for policy and planning purposes. The app includes built-in checks and multilingual support to aid enumerators.

Security and Privacy: Robust security protocols are in place to safeguard personal information, with data encryption and controlled access.

Capacity Building: Enumerators are being trained extensively on digital tools, helping bridge the technological divide and enhance ground-level efficiency.

Scalable Model: Based on this test’s success, the government plans to scale digital operations nationwide in phases, culminating in Census 2027’s full digital rollout.

This milestone embodies India’s commitment to leveraging technology for more efficient governance, setting a precedent for large-scale digital transformation in public administration.

Sources: Economic Times, Dawn, PIB India, Eastern Eye, The Wire, Observer BD.