India launches census delayed by COVID-19 to count 1.4 billion
India
India just kicked off its nationwide census, aiming to count and collect data from all 1.4 billion people, a huge effort that was pushed back because of COVID-19.
The process is rolling out in two phases, starting with 5 states and 3 union territories, and more than 3 million officials (mostly schoolteachers) will be going door-to-door across the country.
Census pre-registration available in 16 languages
For the first time ever, digital tools are front and center: people can pre-register online in 16 languages before survey teams arrive.
Enumerators will use a mobile app to help speed things up, while a special mapping tool makes sure no area gets missed.
The whole operation is set to wrap up by March 2027 and aims to fix past issues like delays.