India will include caste in its next census. Here’s what to know.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has in the past opposed the idea of counting people by caste, saying it would deepen social divisions in the country.

India will include caste details in its next census, in a move likely to have sweeping socio-economic and political ramifications for the world’s most populous country.

Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw didn’t say when the census would begin when he announced it would include caste information Wednesday. He said the decision demonstrated New Delhi’s commitment to the “values and interests of the society and country.”

The count is likely lead to demands to raise the country’s quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for some categories of castes, especially for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India’s current policy caps quotas at 50 per cent, with 27 per cent reserved for OBCs.

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them.

Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. But its supporters say detailed demographic information is necessary to properly implementing India’s many social justice programs.

Colonial ruler Britain began an Indian census in 1872 and counted all castes until 1931. However, independent India since 1951 only counted Dalits and Adivasis, who are referred to as scheduled castes and tribes, respectively. Everyone else’s caste was marked as general.

The next once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021, but has been delayed mainly by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. The last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people, of which 2011 million were scheduled castes and 104 million were scheduled tribes.

The announcement comes months ahead of a crucial election in India’s poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Modi’s party runs a coalition government in Bihar.