List of Districts of India State-wise, Name, Population

Currently India has 806 districts which increases from the 640 districts recorded in the 2011 Census of India. Check here List of Districts of India State-wise, Name, Population.

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Districts of India

The term “Districts of India” refers to the administrative subdivisions of the Indian states and union territories. These districts further divide the larger states into smaller, manageable units for better governance and development. In this article, you will get all about the List of Number of Districts of India State-wise.

Districts act as the bridge between the state government and the grassroots level. They oversee local administration, implementing state policies and programs within their boundaries. Each district is headed by a District Collector, also known as the District Magistrate, who is the chief executive officer responsible for overall administration.

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Division of Districts in India

The district is further divided into sub-divisions, each led by a Sub-divisional Magistrate.
These sub-divisions are then composed of tehsils or talukas, smaller administrative units governed by Tehsildars or Talukdars.
At the village level, Gram Panchayats represent the smallest tier of local governance.

How Many Districts in India in 2024?

Currently, there are 806 districts in India. This number has been steadily increasing in recent years due to the creation of new districts for better administration and development. These districts are spread across 28 states and 8 union territories. The number of districts in India can change over time. For example, Madhya Pradesh will add three new districts, increasing the total number from 52 to 55.

List of Number of Districts of India State-wise

Number of districts in each state or UT
S.No.	State/Union Territory	No. of districts	Population
1	Andhra Pradesh	26	49,577,103
2	Arunachal Pradesh	26	1,383,727
3	Assam	35	31,205,576
4	Bihar	38	104,099,452
5	Chhattisgarh	33	25,545,198
6	Goa	2	1,458,545
7	Gujarat	33	60,439,692
8	Haryana	22	25,351,462
9	Himachal Pradesh	13	6,864,602
10	Jharkhand	24	32,988,134
11	Karnataka	31	61,095,297
12	Kerala	14	33,406,061
13	Madhya Pradesh	57	72,626,809
14	Maharashtra	36	112,374,333
15	Manipur	16	2,570,390
16	Meghalaya	12	2,966,889
17	Mizoram	11	1,097,206
18	Nagaland	16	1,978,502
19	Odisha	30	41,974,218
20	Punjab	23	27,743,338
21	Rajasthan	55	68,548,437
22	Sikkim	6	610,577
23	Tamil Nadu	38	72,147,030
24	Telangana	33	35,003,674
25	Tripura	8	3,673,917
26	Uttar Pradesh	76	199,812,341
27	Uttarakhand	17	10,086,292
28	West Bengal	30	91,276,115

List of Number of Districts of India in Union Territory

Number of districts in each Union Territory
#	Union Territory	No. of districts	Population
1	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	3	380,581
2	Chandigarh	1	1,055,450
3	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	3	586,956
4	Jammu and Kashmir	20	12,258,093
5	Ladakh	4	290,492
6	Lakshadweep	1	64,473
7	Delhi	11	16,787,941
8	Puducherry	4	1,247,953

Largest and Smallest District in India

Here are some of the largest and smallest districts in India:

Largest district: Kutch, Gujarat, with an area of 45,652 km2
Smallest district: Mahé, Puducherry, with an area of 8.69 km2
Most populated district: North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, with a population of 10,082,852
Least populated district: Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 8,004

Largest District in India

Gujarat’s Kachchh district is the largest in India. Pakistan borders it to the north and northwest, while Rajasthan State borders it to the northeast. The district’s overall area is 45,674 square kilometers, or 23.27% of Gujarat’s entire geographic area.

Smallest District in India

One of the four districts in the Indian union territory of Puducherry is Mahe. It encompasses the entire Mahé region. Mahé is India’s tiniest district in terms of area. North Malabar in Kerala State encircles the entire Mahé district.

Most Populated District in India

As of the 2011 census, the most populated district in India was Thane, Maharashtra with a population of 11,060,148. The least populated district was Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh with a population of 8,004. The most populated states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar. Here are the top 10 most populous districts in India as of December 19, 2023, based on provisional population estimates for Q2 FY 2023-24:

S.No.	District	State	Population (lakhs)**
1	Thane	Maharashtra	180.55
2	North 24 Parganas	West Bengal	160.9
3	Bangalore	Karnataka	126.7
4	Delhi East	Delhi	120.12
5	Delhi North	Delhi	118.34
6	Mumbai Suburban	Maharashtra	115.06
7	Kolkata	West Bengal	112.09
8	Hyderabad	Telangana	95.7
9	Pune	Maharashtra	94.27
10	Ahmedabad	Gujarat	87.79

The State governments are in charge of creating new districts, altering current districts, or eradicating existing districts. Either an executive order or a bill passed by the State Assembly can establish a new district. Numerous States favour the executive method, which involves merely publishing a notification in the official gazette.

In the modification or formation of new districts, the Center has no involvement. The choice is up to the state. When a State wants to modify the name of a district or a railroad station, the Home Ministry is involved. The state government’s request is approved by the departments including the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Geographical Survey of India Sciences, and the Railway Ministry. After reviewing their responses, the state government is given a certificate of no objection.

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FAQs

Which is the largest district in India?

The largest district in India by area is Kutch district in Gujarat.

Which is Indias largest district?

Gujarat's Kachchh district is India's biggest district. Pakistan borders it to the north and northwest, while Rajasthan State borders it to the northeast. The district's overall area is 45,674 square kilometres, or 23.27% of Gujarat's entire geographic area.

Which is the smallest district in India?

Mahé is India's smallest district in terms of area. North Malabar in Kerala State encircles the entire Mahé district. Kozhikode District is on one side, and the Kannur District is on three sides. Geographically, North Malabar includes the Mahé district.