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 27 March 2025^[update], there are a total of 780 districts in India. This count includes Mahe and Yanam which are Census districts and not Administrative districts and also includes the temporary Maha Kumbh Mela district but excludes Itanagar Capital Complex which has a Deputy Commissioner but is not an official district.

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, 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.

The majority of districts in India take their names from the district headquarters (the principal town or administrative centre).

Not all districts are named after towns. Some districts are named for prominent geographical features (for example, river names), historical regions, or notable persons associated with the area. For example, Krishna district is named for the Krishna River that flows through the region, while Mahabubnagar (Palamoor) takes its name from the town of Mahabubnagar, itself named after Mir Mahabub Ali Khan.

Some districts have historically used two forms of names — a traditional or historical name and a name based on the modern administrative headquarters — and in many official usages the word "district" is appended to the name (for example, "Sonipat district") to distinguish the administrative unit from the town of the same name.

The reasons for district names and for changes to them can be administrative, political, cultural, or commemorative; new districts created during reorganisations are often named for their headquarters or for local landmarks, and the choice of name is normally made by the state government that creates the district.

The following tables list the population details of various states. The columns include the hierarchical administrative subdivision codes, the district name, district headquarters, 2011 census population, area in square kilometres, and the population density per square kilometre.