India among a select few countries that have not conducted the Census | Data

The last census conducted in India was in 2011 and the decennial counting measure has been postponed indefinitely since 2021. Census numbers play a vital role in identifying beneficiaries for a myriad welfare schemes which could include specific ones such as building schools for tribal children to the large Public Distribution System (PDS). The absence of the census is bound to have grave consequences.

The BJP-led government has repeatedly asserted, including in Parliament, that Census 2021 had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But India stands only among a select few countries that have not conducted the latest Census — 44 of 233 nations. Of the 189 (81%) that managed to conduct their latest rounds, 143 did so after March 2020, the period when COVID-19 started playing havoc across countries. India shares the dubious distinction of not conducting the census with conflict-ridden countries such as Ukraine (invaded by Russia), Yemen, Syria and Myanmar — impacted by civil wars, the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the economic crisis-affected Sri Lanka besides several sub-Saharan African countries that have also undergone turmoil.