In brief
India has initiated its 16th national census, aiming to accurately count its population of over 1.4 billion people. Over three million officials will conduct this extensive survey, which includes 33 questions addressing various socio-economic factors. The exercise is crucial for policy-making and resource allocation, reflecting the demographic shifts in one of the world's youngest nations.
Does your house have a concrete roof or a thatched one? What is your main cereal? Do you have internet access or just a basic mobile phone? How many married couples live under your roof?
These are among the 33 questions that more than a billion Indians will be asked as the country launches the world's largest census on Wednesday, marking the first population count in more than 15 years.
The two-phase exercise, billed as the world's most ambitious of its kind, will see more than three million officials spend a year counting every person in India.
India's 16th census - the eighth since independence in 1947 - will also include caste data and is seen as crucial for policy, welfare delivery, and political representation in the world's most populous country.
With more than 1.4 billion people, India overtook China in 2023, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Yet, falling fertility and a median age of 28 mean it remains one of the world's youngest countries, with nearly 70% of its population of working age.
The last census was held in 2011, with the 2021 round delayed by the pandemic and later pushed back further due to administrative and electoral scheduling - the first time the decennial exercise missed its schedule.
The exercise will span 36 states and federally-administered territories, involving more than 7,000 sub-districts and nearly 640,000 villages, with fieldwork conducted by enumerators, typically schoolteachers and local officials.
Digital innovation marks this census, with data collection using mobile apps and a 16-language portal for self-enumeration. The initial rollout will begin in selected regions, introducing two phases of physical door-to-door surveys.
Authorities anticipate that this census will produce a comprehensive demographic picture, significantly informing government policy and resource allocation in a rapidly evolving socio-economic landscape.
