The initial stage of Census 2027 commenced on Thursday in Mizoram, marking the beginning of the House Listing and Housing Census (HLO). This phase is set to run until May 15, followed by the second phase, the Population Enumeration (PE), which is scheduled to start in February 2027. Vinod Kavle, the Director of Census Operations for Mizoram, informed The Indian Express that foreign refugees living in the state will be included in the population count during the second phase, in accordance with standard census procedures.

A census official clarified that the enumeration process accounts for individuals who reside in a specific location at a given time, regardless of their nationality, with the exception of diplomatic personnel from foreign embassies. This process does not pertain to citizenship status. The census will also gather information regarding migration, including the motivations behind it.

The estimated number of refugees currently in Mizoram is approximately 30,000 from Myanmar, specifically the Chin community, and around 2,000 from Bangladesh. Since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, Mizoram has provided refuge to thousands of Chin individuals, who share ethnic ties with the Mizo population. Prior to the commencement of the HLO on Thursday, an online self-enumeration initiative was launched on April 1, which yielded over 10,294 self-registrations by April 15.

According to the 2011 census, the population of Mizoram was recorded at 1.097 million.