By : Neha Dhyani
Updated : Feb 1, 2023, 13:21
West Bengal Districts consist of 23 distinguishable regions in the state which are headed by a Deputy Commissioner each. These districts are classified under five broad administrative divisions of Presidency, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Medinipur and Burdwan. Recently, the West Bengal Cabinet approved the decision of adding more West Bengal districts.
After the addition of new districts, the count of total districts in West Bengal will be 30. Here, we have shared the names and other important details regarding the existing and proposed districts in the state of West Bengal.
Currently, the number of total districts in West Bengal is 23. However, since the West Bengal Cabinet approved the decision of adding new districts to the state in 2022, the number of West Bengal districts will increase to 30 soon.
After India’s independence in 1947, the state of West Bengal was initially formed with only 14 districts. Subsequently, in the following years, many more districts in West Bengal were added by the West Bengal Cabinet.
Year | No. of West Bengal Districts | Name of Added Districts in West Bengal |
1947 | 14 | Calcutta (Kolkata), Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Midnapore, Murshidabad, Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, Malda, West Dinajpur, 24 Parganas |
1950 | 15 | Koch Bihar |
1954 | 16 | Chandannagore |
1956 | 19 | Dinajpur, 24 Parganas and Midnapore were bifurcated |
2014 | 20 | Alipurduar |
2017 | 23 | Kalimpong, Jhargram, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman |
The 23 district in West Bengal each have a unique history and geographical as well as cultural relevance. Here, we have shared the names of all the West Bengal Districts, the year they were formed in, the area that they cover and the estimated population residing there
# | Districts in West Bengal | Formed | Area | Population (2011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alipurduar | 2014 | 3,383 km2 | 1,491,250 |
2 | Bankura | 1947 | 6,882 km2 | 3,596,674 |
3 | Paschim Bardhaman | 2017 | 1,603.17 km2 | 2,882,031 |
4 | Purba Bardhaman | 2017 | 5,432.69 km2 | 4,835,532 |
5 | Birbhum | 1947 | 4,545 km2 | 3,502,404 |
6 | Cooch Behar | 1950 | 3,387 km2 | 2,819,086 |
7 | Darjeeling | 1947 | 2,092.5 km2 | 1,595,181 |
8 | Dakshin Dinajpur | 1992 | 2,219 km2 | 1,676,276 |
9 | Hooghly | 1947 | 3,149 km2 | 5,519,145 |
10 | Howrah | 1947 | 1,467 km2 | 4,850,029 |
11 | Jalpaiguri | 1947 | 2,844 km2 | 2,381,596 |
12 | Jhargram | 2017 | 3,037.64 km2 | 1,136,548 |
13 | Kolkata | 1947 | 185 km2 | 4,496,694 |
14 | Kalimpong | 2017 | 1,044 km2 | 251,642 |
15 | Malda | 1947 | 3,733 km2 | 3,988,845 |
16 | Paschim Medinipur | 2002 | 6,308 km2 | 4,776,909 |
17 | Purba Medinipur | 2002 | 4,736 km2 | 5,095,875 |
18 | Murshidabad | 1947 | 5,324 km2 | 7,103,807 |
19 | Nadia | 1947 | 3,927 km2 | 5,167,601 |
20 | North 24 Parganas | 1986 | 4,094 km2 | 10,009,781 |
21 | South 24 Parganas | 1986 | 9,960 km2 | 8,161,961 |
22 | Purulia | 1956 | 6,259 km2 | 2,930,115 |
23 | Uttar Dinajpur | 1992 | 3,140 km2 | 3,007,134 |
On 1 August 2022, the West Bengal Cabinet approved the formation of seven new districts in West Bengal. This will raise the number of districts in the state from 23 to 30. Here is more information about the new West Bengal districts and the areas they will be carved from
West Bengal districts are divided into five different administrative divisions. The following table shows the districts and the divisions they are categorized under
Jalpaiguri division | Burdwan division | Malda division | Medinipur division | Presidency division |
Alipurduar district, Cooch Behar district, Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri district, Kalimpong district | Birbhum district, Hooghly district, Paschim Bardhaman district, Purba Bardhaman district | Malda district, Uttar Dinajpur district, Dakshin Dinajpur district, Murshidabad district | Bankura district, Jhargram district, Purulia district, Purba Medinipur district, Paschim Medinipur district | Howrah district, Kolkata district, Nadia district, North 24 Parganas district, South 24 Parganas district |
Find out the geographic location of all the West Bengal districts on the map shared here. It will also give you a better idea of the size of the districts of the state. Check out the image for the List of Districts Present Today in West Bengal State.
There are 23 districts in West Bengal in total. These districts fall under five different administrative divisions, which are looked after by a Divisional Commissioner. The West Bengal Cabinet approved the formation of 7 new West Bengal districts on 1 August 2022.
The names of new districts in West Bengal are Kalimpong, Jhargram, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman. These districts were formed in 2017 after the West Bengal Cabinet passed the proposal. Seven more districts will be added to the West Bengal district list soon.
Spreading across an area of 9,960 square kilometres, South 24 Parganas is the largest district in West Bengal. This district has a population of 8,161,961 people living in it. This West Bengal district consists of the subdivisions of Baruipur, Canning, Diamond Harbour, Kakdwip, and Alipore Sadar.
The newest districts in West Bengal are the Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman districts. These districts were formed on 7 April 2017 by splitting the Bardhaman district. Another district, the Jhargram district was formed only a few days before, on 4 April 2017.
The West Bengal district list has been shared here. We have shared the names of all the old and new districts of West Bengal, along with details about their current population and the area that they cover. Check out the detailed list of districts in West Bengal in the table shared here.
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