List of Districts in West Bengal – Area, Population, Geographical Significance

List of Districts in West Bengal: The West Bengal Districts consist of 23 in number with Kolkata as the state’s capital. However, in 2022 the West Bengal Cabinet approved the creation of 7 new districts which will result in total districts in West Bengal will be 30. The current districts are grouped into 5 administrative divisions namely; Presidency, Burdwan, Medinipur, Malda, and Jalpaiguri.

About West Bengal

Also, called Poshchim Bongo is an Indian state located in the east of the country along the Bay of Bengal. It has a land area of 88,752 km² in which around 91 million people live. It is the thirteenth largest state by land area and is the fourth most populous state in terms of human population. Internationally it shares a border with Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. The state’s capital is the city of joy Kolkata which is the third largest metropolitan city, the seventh populous city, and the sixth largest state economy of India.

List of Districts with Division of West Bengal

When India got its independence and the province of Bengal was partitioned, the state of West Bengal was divided into only 14 districts. Then some more districts were added or carved out of the old ones resulting in the formation of the current 23 districts. The following is the list of the current total districts in West Bengal is 23 divided as per the administrative division they fall into;

	Presidency Division	Burdwan Division	Medinipur Division	Malda Division	Jalpaiguri Division
List of Districts	Kolkata	Paschim Bardhaman	Purba Medinipur	Malda	Jalpaiguri
	Howrah	Purba Bardhaman	Paschim Medinipur	Murshidabad	Alipurduar
	North 24 Parganas	Hoogly	Bankura	Uttar Dinajpur	Cooch Behar
	South 24 Parganas	Birbhum	Purulia	Dakshin Dinajpur	Kalimpong
	Nadia		Jhargram		Darjeeling

West Bengal District’s Headquarters and Establishment Date

Following is the list of district headquarters and the establishment date of the district:

Sl. No	Name of District	Name of Headquarter	Date of Establishment
1	Alipurduar	Alipurduar	2014
2	Bankura	Bankura	1947
3	Birbhum	Suri	1947
4	Cooch Behar	Cooch Behar	1950
5	Darjeeling	Darjeeling	1947
6	Dakshin Dinajpur	Balurghat	1992
7	Hoogly	Chinsura	1947
8	Howrah	Howrah	1947
9	Jalpaiguri	Jalpaiguri	1947
10	Jhargram	Jhargram	2017
11	Kalimpong	Kalimpong	2017
12	Kolkata	Kolkata	1947
13	Malda	English Bazar	1947
14	Murshidabad	Baharampur	1947
15	Nadia	Krishnanagar	1947
16	North 24 Parganas	Barasat	1986
17	Paschim Bardhaman	Asansol	2017
18	Paschim Medinipur	Medinipur	2002
19	Purba Bardhaman	Bardhaman	2017
20	Purba Medinipur	Tamluk	2002
21	Purulia	Purulia	1956
22	South 24 Parganas	Alipore	1986
23	Uttar Dinajpur	Raiganj	1992

West Bengal District’s Area with Population

Following are the approximate estimation of the area and the population per district (based on 2011 data);

Sl. No	Name of District	Approx. Area	Approx. Population
1	Alipurduar	3,383 km2	1,491,250
2	Bankura	6,882 km2	3,596,674
3	Birbhum	4,545 km2	3,502,404
4	Cooch Behar	3,387 km2	2,819,086
5	Darjeeling	2,093 km2	1,595,181
6	Dakshin Dinajpur	2,219 km2	1,676,276
7	Hoogly	3,149 km2	5,519,145
8	Howrah	1,467 km2	4,850,029
9	Jalpaiguri	2,844 km2	2,381,596
10	Jhargram	3,038 km2	1,136,548
11	Kalimpong	1,044 km2	251,642
12	Kolkata	185 km2	4,496,694
13	Malda	3,733 km2	3,988,845
14	Murshidabad	5,324 km2	7,103,807
15	Nadia	3,927 km2	5,167,601
16	North 24 Parganas	4,094 km2	11,060,148
17	Paschim Bardhaman	1,604 km2	2,882,031
18	Paschim Medinipur	6,308 km2	4,776,909
19	Purba Bardhaman	5,432 km2	4,835,532
20	Purba Medinipur	4,736 km2	5,095,875
21	Purulia	6,259 km2	2,930,115
22	South 24 Parganas	9,960 km2	8,161,961
23	Uttar Dinajpur	3,140 km2	3,007,134

Economic Significance of Districts of West Bengal

Sl. No	Name of District	Economic Significance
1	Alipurduar	Trade with Bhutan Tea export Tourism from wildlife sanctuaries.
2	Bankura	Traditional handicrafts Tourism from archeological sites.
3	Birbhum	Small scale industries Tourism from temples, and terracotta art and architecture
4	Cooch Behar	Traditional handicrafts Tourism from historical landmarks
5	Darjeeling	Darjeeling tea Tourism from hills, Buddhist monasteries, and heritage places.
6	Dakshin Dinajpur	Agriculture Tourism from historical landmarks.
7	Hoogly	Handicrafts Tourism from colonial architecture, temples, etc.
8	Howrah	Transportation hub. Tourism from cultural heritages.
9	Jalpaiguri	Tea production Tourism from wildlife sanctuaries, historic temples, etc.
10	Jhargram	Handicrafts Tourism from scenic beauties.
11	Kalimpong	Handicrafts Tourism from scenic beauties, and Buddhist monasteries.
12	Kolkata	Trade Tourism from various heritage architectures.
13	Malda	Mango export. Silk industries. Tourism from heritage monuments.
14	Murshidabad	Silk and silk sarees. Tourism from historical monuments.
15	Nadia	Jute and jute handloom. Tourism from historic temples.
16	North 24 Parganas	Fish production. Tourism from historic monuments.
17	Paschim Bardhaman	Industries Silk handloom. Tourism from temples and terracotta art.
18	Paschim Medinipur	Agriculture. Tourism from historic monuments and temples.
19	Purba Bardhaman	Industries. Tourism from historical monuments and temples.
20	Purba Medinipur	Fish production. Tourism from scenic beauties, beaches, and monuments.
21	Purulia	Raw materials for eco-friendly products. Tourism from historical monuments, and art.
22	South 24 Parganas	Fish production Tourism from historical monuments.
23	Uttar Dinajpur	Jute and jute handloom. Tourism from wildlife sanctuaries, historic monuments, etc.

Geographical and Historical Significance of West Bengal

Sl. No	Name of District	Historical Significance	Geographical Significance
1	Alipurduar	Railway station with heritage building status.	Foothills of eastern Himalayas Gateway to Bhutan
2	Bankura	Terracotta temples Archaeological sites dating to the prehistoric era. Traditional dance forms like Baul and Chhau.	Connecting link between plains of Bengal and the Chota Nagpur plateau. Low-lying alluvial plains. Hilly area with forest.
3	Birbhum	Visva-Bharati University by Rabindranath Tagore. 160 years old Nalhati temple. The terracotta temple complex of Joydev Kenduli.	Red soil Mostly hilly areas.
4	Cooch Behar	Cooch Behar palace. Madan Mohan temple.	Foothills of eastern Himalayas.
5	Darjeeling	British Colonial architecture. Buddhist Monastries like Ghoom Monastery. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (a UNESCO World Heritage)	Hilly area
6	Dakshin Dinajpur	Historical landmarks like 16th-century Balurghat Palace and Durgapur Barrage. Traditional art like Jhumur and Natua.	Located in Gangetic plains making the soil highly productive.
7	Hoogly	Colonial architecture. Historic temples like Tarakeshwar temple. 18th Century Bandel Church.	Hoogly River passes through this district.
8	Howrah	Belur Math Ramakrishna Math and Mission	River connectivity Boundaries are determined by rivers on all sides.
9	Jalpaiguri	Historic temples and palaces.	Forest region with rich biodiversity.
10	Jhargram	Architecture from Mughals to British. Historical places like Jhargram Palace, Kanak Durga Temple, etc.	Forest regions Part of Chota Nagpur Plateau.
11	Kalimpong	Buddhist monasteries like Zang Dhok Palri Phodang monastery.	Hilly area.
12	Kolkata	Historic architecture like Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, etc. Howrah Bridge by the British.	Shares its boundaries with the Hoogly River and Ganges Delta. Wetlands
13	Malda	Monuments and ruins of many dynasties like Gour, Maurya, etc. Islamic architectures like Firuz Minar, etc.	Gateway to North Bengal. A mix of plains and hilly areas.
14	Murshidabad	Historical landmarks like Hazarduari Palace, etc.	West of the Bhagirathi River is the plateau region and in the east are the fertile alluvial plains.
15	Nadia	Historic temples and ruins like Nabadwip Dham, Mayapur ISKCON temple, etc.	Mostly alluvial plains.
16	North 24 Parganas	Historic landmarks like Dakshineswar Kali Temple, the Belur Math, etc.	Part of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.
17	Paschim Bardhaman	Historical landmarks like Bishnupur temples, etc. Terracotta art.	Rocky topography. Have forest covers.
18	Paschim Medinipur	Historic landmarks and monuments like Jora Masjid, Garbeta Megheswar temple, etc.	East of NH 14 and NH 16 is the fertile alluvial soil and on the west is the infertile plateau region.
19	Purba Bardhaman	Historic monuments like the Rajbari complex, Bardhaman Shiva temple, etc.	Alluvial plains
20	Purba Medinipur	Historic monuments like Tamluk Rajbari, etc.	Coastal area
21	Purulia	Historic landmarks like Charida village (Chhau dance form)	Westernmost district of West Bengal. Funnel for tropical monsoon into north-west India.
22	South 24 Parganas	Historical landmarks like Gangasagar Kapilmuni Temple, etc.	Plains Sunderban Delta
23	Uttar Dinajpur	Historical landmarks like Itahar Shiv Mandir, etc.	Plains with fertile alluvial soil. The forest area of Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary.

Recent Development of West Bengal

Some of the recent initiatives undertaken by the Central and State Governments in West Bengal are:

1. Tajpur port in Purba Medinipur
2. 100 Km cover of the Kolkata Metro.
3. Bengal Silicon Valley project in the New Town of Kolkata.
4. World Trade Center, Kolkata.
5. Khadya Sathi (Food Security) and Swasthya  Sathi Scheme of West Bengal Govt.
6. Widening and Strengthening of NH 116 B by Union Road and Transport Ministry that connects Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal to Balasore district of Odisha.
7. The second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) is in Kolkata.
8. Durgapur-Haldia pipeline project by GAIL.

FAQs on List of Districts in West Bengal

Q1. Which are the largest and smallest districts of West Bengal in terms of land area?

The largest district of West Bengal is South 24 Parganas with a land area of 9,960 km² and the smallest is Kolkata with a land area of 185 km².

Q2. Which are the most populous and least populous districts of West Bengal?

The most populated district of West Bengal is North 24 Parganas with 11,060,148 people living in it and the least populous district is Kalimpong with 251,642 people living in it approximately.

Q3. Which are the first 14 districts of West Bengal that are formed after the independence of India?

The first 14 districts of West Bengal were; Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Calcutta (Kolkata), Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly, Howrah, Malda, Midnapore, Murshidabad, Nadia, West Dinajpur, and 24 Parganas.

Q4. Among the current 23 districts name the most recently formed ones.

Name of 23 district of west bengal the most recent ones are formed in the year 2017, and these are; Jhargram, Kalimpong, Purba Bardhaman, and Paschim Bardhaman.

Q5. Name the proposed 7 additional districts of West Bengal by the Cabinet in 2022.

The proposed list of districts is; Sundarban, Ichhamati, Basirha, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Jangipur, and Berhampore.

Q6. How Many District in West Bengal are there?

Currently, West Bengal district list 2023 has 23 districts. In 2022, the West Bengal Cabinet approved the addition of new districts, bringing the total to 30 soon.

West Bengal initially had 14 districts at the time of India’s independence in 1947. Over the years, more districts were added:

– 1950: Koch Bihar (15 districts)

– 1954: Chandannagore (16 districts)

– 1956: Dinajpur, 24 Parganas, and Midnapore were bifurcated (19 districts)

– 2014: Alipurduar (20 districts)

– 2017: Kalimpong, Jhargram, Purba, and Paschim Bardhaman (23 districts)

Q7. West Bengal District List

West Bengal total district name list, each with a unique history and cultural significance, are as follows:

1. Alipurduar (2014)

2. Bankura (1947)

3. Paschim Bardhaman (2017)

4. Purba Bardhaman (2017)

5. Birbhum (1947)

6. Cooch Behar (1950)

7. Darjeeling (1947)

8. Dakshin Dinajpur (1992)

9. Hooghly (1947)

10. Howrah (1947)

11. Jalpaiguri (1947)

12. Jhargram (2017)

13. Kolkata (1947)

14. Kalimpong (2017)

15. Malda (1947)

16. Paschim Medinipur (2002)

17. Purba Medinipur (2002)

18. Murshidabad (1947)

19. Nadia (1947)

20. North 24 Parganas (1986)

21. South 24 Parganas (1986)

22. Purulia (1956)

23. Uttar Dinajpur (1992)

These districts vary in size, population, and historical significance, contributing to West Bengal’s rich diversity.

Q8. Here are the list of New Districts in West Bengal.

On August 1, 2022, the West Bengal Cabinet approved the creation of seven new districts, expanding the state’s total to 30. These new districts will be formed as follows:

1. Ichhamati and Basirhat Districts from North 24 Parganas.

2. New Sundarban District from South 24 Parganas.

3. Bishnupur District from Bankura.

4. Jangipur and Berhampore Districts from Murshidabad.

5. New Ranaghat District from Nadia.

Q9. Which is the newest district in West Bengal?

The latest additions to West Bengal’s districts include Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman, both formed on April 7, 2017, through the division of the Bardhaman district. Additionally, the Jhargram district was established just a few days prior, on April 4, 2017.