India kickstarts world's largest population census

India has begun the first phase of what is set to be the world’s largest population census, with more than three million officials to take part in a vast counting exercise over the next year. The census, which was delayed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, began on Wednesday and will end by March 31 next year.

Population data collected through the census underpins the distribution of government welfare programmes and a wide range of public policies. The previous census conducted in India was in 2011 and recorded a population of 1.21 billion. It is now estimated to be more than 1.4 billion, making India the world’s most populous nation.