Census caste listing will be difficult, say experts.

• Top anthropologists and population scientists argue that the challenge lies in listing the total number of castes and communities in India.

• There is no comprehensive repository of such groups apart from the constitutional lists of Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

• The 1931 Census counted over 4,147 different castes and sub-castes, including over 300 that practiced Christianity and 500 that followed Islam.

• Today, there are over 3,651 communities classified as OBCs, 1,170 as SCs, and around 850 as STs.

• The only record of total castes or communities in India is contained in the Anthropological Survey of India’s People of India volumes.

• The Office of the Registrar General of India and the Census Commissioner must consult with academics, people, caste groups, political groupings, and the public to arrive at this listing.

• The lack of a concrete listing has led to over 46 lakh different “castes”, with many citizens entering their surnames under the field for caste, inflating the numbers.

• The issue of how India understands caste as of 2025 is a dynamic phenomenon, with new caste names and regional diversity.