India has begun the first phase of what is expected to be the largest census ever conducted in human history, as the world's most populous nation works to update demographic data that is now more than a decade old, according to France 24.
More than three million government officials have been mobilized to carry out the count across the country, which currently has an estimated population of 1.4 billion people. The last census was conducted in 2011, when India's population stood at 1.21 billion - a figure that has since grown substantially.
Scale and significance
The sheer logistical scope of the operation reflects the complexity of documenting one of the world's most demographically diverse nations. India surpassed China in 2023 to become the most populous country on Earth, making accurate population data increasingly critical for government planning.
The results of the census are expected to have far-reaching consequences for how public resources are distributed. Welfare programs and social safety nets that affect hundreds of millions of citizens could be restructured based on updated population figures.
Political implications
Beyond social policy, the census data is also expected to inform a redrawing of electoral boundaries across the country. Constituency delimitation - the process of adjusting voting districts to reflect population shifts - has significant implications for political representation at both state and national levels.
The last delimitation exercise was based on population data from earlier decades, meaning that fast-growing regions may currently be underrepresented in legislative bodies relative to their actual populations.
A delayed undertaking
The census had originally been scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gap since the last count in 2011 means that planners and policymakers have been working with outdated information for an extended period, affecting the targeting of subsidies, infrastructure investments, and public health initiatives.
Completing the count across India's vast geography - spanning urban megacities, remote rural areas, and difficult terrain - presents considerable logistical and administrative challenges for the officials involved.
France 24 reported on the launch of the census project, noting its potential to drive major policy changes once results are compiled and analyzed.
