The Indian state of Kerala is divided into 14 districts. Districts are the major administrative units of a state which are further sub-divided into revenue divisions and taluks.

Idukki district is the largest district in Kerala with a total land area of 4,61,223.14 hectares.

When the independent India merged smaller states together, Travancore and Cochin states were integrated to form Travancore-Cochin state on 1 July 1949. However, North Malabar and South Malabar remained under the Madras state. The States Reorganisation Act of 1 November 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood through the unification of Malayalam-speaking territories in the southwestern Malabar Coast of India.

The state comprises three parts – the Northern Kerala districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram; the Central Kerala districts of Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki; and the Southern Kerala districts of Kottayam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram. Such a regional division occurred being part of historical regions of Cochin, North Malabar, South Malabar, and Travancore. North Malabar region includes Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, and the northern region of Kozhikode district, South Malabar region includes south-central part of Kozhikode district, Malappuram, parts except Chittoor taluk of Palakkad district, Kunnamkulam and Chavakkad region of Thrissur district. The regions of South Malabar and Kingdom of Cochin, both of which share many historical, geographical, and cultural similarities, together constitute the districts of Central Kerala. The Travancore region is incorporated in the districts of South Kerala. The Travancore region was again divided into three zones as Northern Travancore (Hill Range) (Idukki District, Kottayam district and eastern portion of Ernakulam district), Central Travancore (Central Range) (Kollam district, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha district) and Southern Travancore (Southern Range) (Thiruvananthapuram).

The districts in Kerala are often named after the largest town or city in the district. Some of the districts were renamed in 1990 from the anglicised names to their local names. The 14 districts are further divided into 27 revenue divisions, 77 taluks, and 1664 revenue villages.

For local governance, Kerala has 6 municipal corporations and 87 municipalities overseeing urban areas. Additionally, there are 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats and 14 district panchayats responsible for rural governance.

Kerala State has been divided into 14 districts, 27 revenue divisions, 78 taluks, 152 community development blocks and 1664 revenue villages.

A district is administered by a District Collector, who is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala cadre, and is appointed by the State Government of Kerala. The headquarters of the district administration is known as the Collectorate. The District Collector serves as the head of revenue administration in the district and also functions as the District Magistrate responsible for maintaining law and order within the district. The Collector serves as both the agent of the state Government and also as the representative of the people in the district. District administration is performed by the various Departments of the State Government, each of which has its own office at the district level. The District Officers of the various Departments in the district render technical advice to the collector in the discharge of his duties. The district collector is assisted by an additional district magistrate and deputy collectors.