India debates how to record caste in early 2027 census

India Jul 22, 2026

India's big census is coming up in early 2027, but there's a tricky question: how should caste information be gathered?

Officials are weighing two options: letting people write in their own caste (open-ended) or picking from an official drop-down list.

Both choices have sparked debate and concerns about accuracy and fairness.

Open-ended responses created 4.6 million caste names

The open-ended approach caused chaos in 2011, leading to more than 4.6 million unique caste names and messy data.

The drop-down idea aims to fix this by using official lists, but some groups worry it just repeats old colonial labels and could deepen divisions.

The government says it wants a method that avoids political drama and social fallout, with a decision expected soon.