Opinion: India — a caste census for 2026

This year, India — the world’s most populous country — is conducting the world’s largest census. It is not only doing an official count of its estimated 1.4 million people, but also a count of people who identify as members of specific castes. This is the first time that membership in a caste (a socio-religious category) will be recognized since the South Asian nation won its independence from Great Britain in 1947. The last time that caste membership was counted was 1931.

When India undertook the challenge of self-governance, Gandhi said that if caste was not abolished through love and understanding, it would lead to bloody revolution. The Nehru government took steps through the legislature to abolish social restrictions based on caste standing. Over the decades, caste officially lost most of its meaning, but the recognition of caste remains part of the consciousness of many of the country’s people and continues to have significance in their daily lives.

The caste system

For thousands of years, the dominant religion of India was Hinduism. The principles of the religion were originally set down in the Vedas, the sacred lore of both the religion and the social system. According to the Vedas, people are separated in every aspect of life by Varna, meaning type, order, color, or class. The Varna recognizes four castes (comparable to our idea of social classes). The highest caste is that of Brahmins (priestly class). That is followed by Kshatriyas (rulers, warriors, and civil administrators). Artisans, farmers, people in the various trades, and merchants constitute the Vaishyas. And at the bottom of the caste system are the Sudras (low-paid laborers).