Census 2027 Schedule: Phase 2 (Population Enumeration)

Census 2027 is India's 16th national census, the eighth since Independence, and the first to be conducted digitally. For the first time, households can self-enumerate, giving every family a direct say in how it is recorded. The census runs in two phases, each with its own purpose, dates and question set.

Phase 1: House Listing and Housing Census (1 April to 30 September 2026). Phase 1 records 33 questions on household composition, housing conditions, assets and amenities. There is no religion question in Phase 1. Each state and Union Territory had a 15-day self-enumeration window followed by a 30-day house-to-house enumeration period. Phase 1 closed on 30 September 2026 in every state and UT. Completing Phase 1 puts your household on the official register that Phase 2 enumerators will use.

Phase 2: Population Enumeration. This is where religion is recorded. The Phase 2 questionnaire has 40 questions, including name, age, education, occupation, religion (Question 9) and caste (Question 10). It was notified by the Office of the Registrar General, India on 14 August 2026. Every Jain household writes "Jain" in Question 9 for every member.

Phase 2 does not happen on one date for the whole country. There are three schedules, depending on where you live, and one state where the census is on hold:

Rest of India: by Gazette notification S.O. 5913(E) dated 30 October 2026, the Registrar General has fixed the Phase 2 schedule for all States and Union Territories other than Manipur, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir: self-enumeration from 10 to 24 January 2027, house-to-house population enumeration from 25 January to 28 February 2027, and a revisional round from 1 to 5 March 2027. The reference date is 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027.

"Snow-bound areas" are regions cut off by snow in winter, which is why they are counted earlier than the rest of the country.

What is the reference date? It is the moment at which the count is frozen: 00:00 hours on the reference date. Everyone alive at that moment is counted, wherever they are enumerated in the following days. A child born after the reference date is not counted in this census; a person who passes away after it is still counted.

Four states have been advanced. On 5 September 2026, the Registrar General advanced Phase 2 in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and the non-snow-bound parts of Uttarakhand, ahead of state assembly elections due in early 2027. If you live in these states, your Phase 2 self-enumeration window opens on 16 November 2026, not in the new year. Uttar Pradesh alone was home to over 2.1 lakh Jains in Census 2011.

Manipur is on hold. By a separate notification on 5 September 2026, census operations in Manipur have been deferred until further notice. Jain households in Manipur should watch this page; dates will be added as soon as they are announced.

How it differs from Census 2011. Census 2021 was postponed and never held, so Census 2027 is the first national census since 2011, a gap of 16 years. It introduces self-enumeration, letting households submit their own data before the enumerator visits, and it records caste for all communities for the first time since 1931. The enumerator visit remains compulsory whether or not you self-enumerate.

For Jain households, the state-wise table below shows your Phase 2 schedule. Manipur's row will be updated the day the Registrar General announces its dates. The Phase 2 self-enumeration link will be published here, and sent on WhatsApp, only when your state's window opens; do not use links from unknown sources. Register Now to be notified when your state's dates are announced, and read why an accurate count matters for the Jain community at Jain Census 2027.