List of districts in India

A district (zila), also known as revenue district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. In some cases, districts are further subdivided into sub-divisions, and in others directly into tehsils or talukas. As of 30 March 2024^[update], there are a total of 806 districts.

Districts of India
Category	second/third-level administrative division
Location	States and union territories of India
Number	797 (as of 20 November 2023)
Populations	Greatest: Thane, Maharashtra—11,060,148 (2011 census) Least: Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh—8,004 (2011 census)
Areas	Largest: Kutch, Gujarat—45,652 km2 (17,626 sq mi) Smallest: Mahé, Puducherry—8.69 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Densities	Largest: Central Delhi, Delhi Smallest: Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
Government	District Administration
Subdivisions	Revenue division (Sub-division) and, Tehsil (Taluka, Mandal), and Blocks

District officials include:

• District & Sessions Judge (Principal & additional), an officer belonging to the Indian Judicial Service (state), responsible for justice and passing orders of imprisonment, including the death penalty and also have limited administrative power. Also have appellate jurisdiction over all subordinate courts in the district for both civil and criminal matters.^[1][2][3]
• District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner or District Collector, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, in charge of administration and revenue collection^[4]
• Superintendent of Police or Senior Superintendent of Police or Deputy Commissioner of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, responsible for maintaining law and order.^[5] Superintendent of Police is incharge of the police administration of the respective police district. The police district is either coterminous with the revenue district or divided into two within the revenue district.
• Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, entrusted with the management of the forests, environment and wildlife of the district^[6]
• Other district-level officials of respective state government departments, such as the District Educational Officer, District Medical Officer, District Supply Officer, District Fire Officer, District Development Commissioner, etc.

Each of these officials is aided by officers from the appropriate branch of the state government.

Most districts have a distinct headquarters; but the districts of Mumbai City in Maharashtra,^[7] Kolkata in West Bengal, Hyderabad in Telangana, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu are examples where there are no distinct district headquarters, although there are district collectors.