List of Districts in Punjab 2024

Punjab, the culturally rich, diverse state of India can be spotted on the northwestern region of the map. It is a strategically important state, given its proximity to Pakistan, spanning an area of 50,362 square km with a population of 27,704236 (2011). Punjab has a total of 23 districts and 5 divisions to ensure a smooth administration of the whole state.

This article highlights the information on the districts and divisions of Punjab and some interesting facts related to it. Please go through this article thoroughly.

List of Districts in Punjab

S.No.	District Name of Punjab	Population (2011)
1.	Amritsar	2,490,891
2.	Barnala	596,294
3.	Bathinda	1,388,859
4.	Faridkot	618,008
5.	Fatehgarh Sahib	599,814
6.	Firozpur	965,337
7.	Fazilka	1,180,483
8.	Gurdaspur	2,299,026
9.	Hoshiarpur	1,582,793
10.	Jalandhar	2,181,753
11.	Kapurthala	817,668
12.	Ludhiana	3,487,882
13.	Malerkotla	452,016
14.	Mansa	768,808
15.	Moga	992,289
16.	Sri Muktsar Sahib	902,702
17.	Pathankot	676,598
18.	Patiala	1,892,282
19.	Rupnagar	683,349
20.	Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar	986,147
21.	Sangrur	1,203,153
22.	Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar	614,362
23.	Tarn Taran	1,120,070

Districts of Punjab in Map

Districts of Punjab

Administrative Divisions of Punjab

To make the administration of a state easier, divisions and districts are created as it has been observed that smaller areas develop faster. A cluster of districts is called a Division and it is overseen by a Commissioner. Divisions were created for an efficient civil administration and the state of Punjab has 5 Divisions, which are listed below in the table:

S.No.	Name of the Division	No. of Districts	Name of the Districts
1.	Faridkot	3	Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa
2.	Ferozpur	4	Fazilka, Ferozepur, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib
3.	Jalandhar	7	Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Pathankot, Tarn Taran
4.	Patiala	6	Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Patiala, Sangrur
5.	Ropar	3	Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar

Largest District of Punjab

We know that all Indian states have been divided into divisions, districts and sub-divisions like tehsils for a smooth and efficient administration process. Punjab has 23 districts and among these, there are certain districts that vary in area and population that need to be especially highlighted.

• Ludhiana district is the largest among all districts of Punjab in terms of area, as it covers an area of 3744 km². Ludhiana is the industrial center of Punjab.
• We find many large-scale manufacturing industries for textiles, machine tools, and auto parts in this district along with many educational institutes for agriculture. The district is also famous for its unique cuisine and traditional music.

Smallest District of Punjab

• Malerkotla district is the smallest in terms of area (837 km²), as it was very recently created from Sangrur district in 2021.
• Malerkotla is known to be a peaceful district, where different sects of people live together harmoniously. The district is home to several large agriculture-based industries like sugar mills and cotton ginning factories. It is also a historically significant region when studying British Raj of India.

Interesting Facts about Punjab

Here are a few interesting facts about Punjab:

• Punjab is also called the “wheat bowl of India”, because the state is the primary wheat provider for the whole country as the presence of five rivers in the state, has made Punjab’s soil fertile and conducive for wheat production.
• The Indus valley civilization covered the whole region of Punjab, and the ancient Harappan sites got split between India and Pakistan after Partition.
• It is also believed that the region of Punjab was probably the first site of human civilizations in the Indian subcontinent around 2500 BC, given the presence of rivers in the region which help in the establishment of human settlements.

Conclusion on Districts in Punjab

Punjab being the 19th largest state of India in terms of area, has been divided into 23 districts for efficient administration. IAS officers, also called Commissioners are appointed as people in charge of these districts to mange the day to day activities of the districts. As we saw above, all the districts of Punjab are economically and culturally really important and shape the culture and economy of the state with their contributions. Therefore any problem arising in these districts would reflect to the whole state as a ripple effect. The districts are like the little puzzle pieces that come together to give us the bigger picture.

FAQs on Districts in Punjab

Which district of Punjab has highest literacy rate?

The district which has the highest literacy rate in Punjab is Hoshiarpur with 84.6 % literacy.

How many districts are there in Punjab?

There are 23 districts in Punjab in total. Earlier, there were only 22 districts in Punjab, however on 14 May 2021, the district of Sangrur was divided and a new district of Malerkotla was added.

Which is the oldest district of Punjab?

The oldest district of Punjab is Hoshiarpur. This district covers an area of 3,365 square kilometres and is located in the northeastern part of Punjab.

Which is the smallest district in Punjab?

When we compare the total area covered by the Punjab districts, Malerkotla is the smallest district of Punjab as it only covers 837 square kilometres of area.

Which is the biggest district of Punjab?

Ludhiana is the biggest district of Punjab, spreading across over 3,767 square kilometres.