Editorial photo #13696481 Human Interest

India Begins World's Largest Population Census

Enumerators and supervisors attend a training session ahead of India's upcoming census 2027, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on May 12, 2026. India has begun counting its population in the world's largest census, which will include caste enumeration for the first time in nearly a century. This year's census is a $1.24 billion exercise during which more than three million Indian officials will spend a year surveying about 1.4 billion Indians about their household composition, living conditions, and access to basic amenities. The previous census in 2011 recorded a population of 1.21 billion. It is now estimated to be more than 1.4 billion, making India the most populous nation. (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto)