The decennial Census of India, performed without interruption since 1892, has been referred to as "the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world." Navigating its various series and tables can be challenging. This guide provides pointers both to print and digital copies of the census, and to reference materials to help you navigate this vast body of material.
The Library holds nearly complete print runs of the Indian censuses from 1871 to 2011. Many are held in the Southern Asia reference section on the 5th floor of Regenstein, and the earliest are held in the Official Publications of India collection. To locate the censuses in the Library catalog, try searching Census of India, [date]; or Census of India, 1871 alphabetically by title, for a browsable list.