Synchronous Census UPSC relevant
A synchronous census is one conducted simultaneously across the entire country with reference to a single moment, so results are comparable everywhere.
India's first census of 1865–1872 was non-synchronous — different regions were counted in different years — while 1881 brought the first synchronous nationwide census, and the exercise has been decennial ever since. Census 2027 will be the 16th Indian census overall and the 8th since Independence; it is the first break in the strict ten-year rhythm because Census 2021 was deferred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The snow-bound areas (Ladakh, parts of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand) are formally 'non-synchronous': they are enumerated early against an October 1, 2026 reference date, and this exception is a standard census practice, not an irregularity.