Government Confirms Census 2027 Will Record Religion as Declared by Respondents, No Separate ‘Tribal Religion’ Column

New Delhi, March 10, 2026: The government clarified on Tuesday that in the upcoming Census 2027, enumerators will continue to record the religion exactly as stated by respondents, rejecting the proposal to introduce a separate column for “Tribal Religion.”

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai explained that the Census methodology requires enumerators to record all religions, sects, and beliefs as declared by individuals. “In Census 2027 also, the enumerators will record the name of the religion as stated by the respondent,” he said, while acknowledging that multiple representations had been received from organisations requesting recognition of a distinct tribal religion category.

The issue was raised by MP Rajkumar Roat, who asked whether the lack of a specific “Tribal Religion” column in the previous Census had hindered the separate religious identification of tribal communities. Roat also sought details about the total population of Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per the 2011 Census, along with data on sub-tribes and the religious affiliations of tribal populations across states.

The Minister responded that the total Scheduled Tribe population in 2011 was 10,45,45,716. Census data records ST populations based on the officially notified lists of Scheduled Tribes in each state and Union Territory. However, sub-tribe-specific data is not published separately, although religious composition of tribal populations is available in official census tables at the state, UT, and district levels.

Regarding proposals from state governments for a separate column to identify tribal religion, the Ministry clarified that no separate category will be created. Instead, the approach remains to allow tribal respondents to declare their religion themselves, which ensures individual agency while maintaining consistency with national Census methodology.

This clarification is expected to address concerns about accurately reflecting tribal religious identities without altering the Census framework that has been used historically.