The Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of a comprehensive socio-economic caste survey within the upcoming 2026-27 national census, ending decades of political equivocation on one of India’s most contested demographic questions.
The census, delayed from its original 2021 schedule by the pandemic and a series of political impasses, will begin its first phase in November 2026 with a house-listing exercise. The caste enumeration will form a separate module distinct from the main census count.
What Will Be Counted
The module will record caste identity, sub-caste, and economic status including income, land ownership, and employment type across all Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and other religious communities. SC and ST data collection uses an existing framework; the new element is data on OBC and general category sub-groups.