Jain Population Assam: Census 2027 and What Every Household Must Do Now

Assam has moved faster than most states. According to the Directorate of Census Operations, Assam, 11,64,586 households completed self-enumeration during the 2–16 August 2026 window. From 17 August, enumerators began house-to-house visits in all 33 districts. The houselisting operation runs until 15 September 2026. Biswajit Pegu, Director of Census Operations, Assam, confirmed the principle of "No Omission, No Duplication" will be strictly maintained.

But Assam's Jain community is not one community in one situation. It is three distinct groups, each with a different status in Census 2027, each requiring a different response.

According to the Census of India 2011, the recorded Jain population in Assam is 25,949, representing 0.08% of the state's population. The Government of Assam has officially recognised Jains as a state minority community. Nationally, the recorded Jain figure is 4,451,753 (44.5 lakh), representing 0.37% of India's population. Community estimates suggest 2 crore or more (20 million+) Jains actually live across the country.

Three Groups. Three Situations. Three Actions.

Group 1: Jains in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts

These two districts could not participate in the standard self-enumeration window. Biswajit Pegu confirmed at a press conference that all census activities in Sivasagar and Charaideo have been postponed until further orders due to the prevailing flood situation. This is not a cancellation.

Revised dates will be announced by Census Operations, Assam. If you live in Charaideo or Sivasagar, do not wait. Monitor official Census Operations, Assam announcements actively. Call 92898-11008 or visit leteveryjaincount.info for district-specific updates. When your window is announced, act on the same day.

Group 2: Guwahati's Marwari-Jain business community

According to district-wise Census 2011 data published by ORGI, Kamrup Metropolitan district accounts for 9,250 of Assam's 25,949 recorded Jains, representing 0.74% of the district's population. The next highest is Dhubri (1,846), followed by Cachar (1,673), Kamrup Rural (1,330), Nagaon (1,162), and Dibrugarh (1,055).

Guwahati's trading families, jewellers, and textile merchants face a specific risk: surnames that cross religious lines. According to the Jain Population Study in India: National Report, ISJS, 2019, only 28.8% of Jain respondents use "Jain" as their surname, while 65.7% use other surnames (Shah, Agrawal, Gandhi, Mehta) that are shared across communities. The remaining approximately 5.5% had other or unrecorded patterns. Assam was not among the seven surveyed states, but the pattern applies directly to Guwahati's Marwari-Jain community.

Religion is recorded in Phase 2, exactly as the household declares it. If the answer given at the door in February 2027 is a caste name or a shared surname rather than the single word Jain, that household drops out of the Jain count. If you completed self-enumeration, your SE ID confirms your household details. Present it when the enumerator visits.

Group 3: Sarak Jains in lower Assam

The Sarak community is an ancient Jain community of eastern India, with settlements in Lower Assam near the West Bengal border. Geographic dispersal across smaller towns and rural areas has historically made enumeration difficult. If your settlement has not yet received an enumerator visit, do not assume it will be reached before 15 September. Contact your local block-level officer to confirm your household is on the register.

Phase 1 Now. Phase 2 in February 2027.

Phase 1 covers household details only. The religion question comes in Phase 2. The Government of India notified Phase 2 on 14 August 2026 via gazette S.O. 4505(E). Question 9 on the official Phase 2 household schedule is "Religion." Question 10 is "Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Caste", a separate field. Write "Jain" in Question 9. Not a surname. Not a caste name. Just Jain.

Phase 2 Population Enumeration opens in February 2027, with a reference date of 1 March 2027. Phase 2 will also have its own self-enumeration window. Register at leteveryjaincount.info to receive notification when it opens.

For the full guide, read the Let Every Jain Count self-enumeration guide. For clarity on why Jain is a religion and not a caste, visit leteveryjaincount.info/is-jain-a-religion-or-caste.

For the first time, the count is in our own hands.

Call 92898-11008 for support. Visit leteveryjaincount.info for Phase 2 updates. To volunteer, register here.