Districts of West Bengal
West Bengal has 23 districts, home to 9.9 Cr people across 85,415 km². Each district below opens its full profile — Census 2011 and NFHS-5 figures, and how it ranks against the rest of West Bengal and against India.
- Districts
- 23
- Population
- 9.9 Cr
- WorldPop 2020
- #4 of 36 states
- Area
- 85,415 km²
- #14 of 36 states
- Density
- 1,163
- per km²
- #7 of 36 states
How West Bengal's districts spread
Across West Bengal's districts: the middle value, where the state ranks among all states (1 = highest median), and which district is highest and lowest. Medians rather than totals, since most of these are rates that cannot be added up.
Amenities & Infrastructure
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Cooking Fuel2021 | 32.1% | 26 / 31 | Kolkata91.7% | Medinipur East17.0% |
| Drinking Water Access2021 | 98.2% | 9 / 31 | 24 Paraganas South100.0% | Purulia87.6% |
| Electricity Access2011 | 47.1% | 25 / 31 | Kolkata96.2% | Coochbehar27.6% |
| Electricity Access2021 | 97.8% | 23 / 31 | Kolkata99.6% | Purulia88.6% |
| Improved Sanitation2021 | 70.1% | 23 / 31 | Darjeeling83.0% | Purulia29.2% |
| Primary & Community Health Centres2011 | 73 | 5 / 30 | Purba Bardhaman139 | Dinajpur Uttar26 |
| Tap Water Access2011 | 16.8% | 27 / 31 | Kolkata88.1% | Dinajpur Uttar5.3% |
Demography
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth Registration, Under 52021 | 98.4% | 6 / 31 | 24 Paraganas North99.6% | Kolkata95.0% |
| Death Registration2021 | 78.8% | 17 / 31 | Kolkata92.8% | Purulia61.3% |
| Population Under 152021 | 22.6% | 23 / 31 | Maldah30.2% | Kolkata16.0% |
| Scheduled Caste Population2011 | 8.4 Lakh | 1 / 32 | 24 Paraganas South25 Lakh | Kalimpong1.1 Lakh |
| Scheduled Tribe Population2011 | 2.4 Lakh | 3 / 32 | Medinipur West8.8 Lakh | Kolkata10,684 |
| Sex Ratio at Birth2021per 1,000 males | 1,005 | 4 / 31 | Dinajpur Uttar1,155 | Medinipur East777 |
| Teenage Pregnancy, Age 15–192021 | 15.1% | 2 / 31 | Coochbehar27.3% | Kolkata4.9% |
| Women Married Before 182021 | 40.8% | 2 / 31 | Medinipur East57.6% | Kolkata16.7% |
| Workers2011 | 15 Lakh | 1 / 32 | 24 Paraganas North36 Lakh | Kalimpong2.4 Lakh |
Education
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females 6+ Who Ever Attended School2021 | 74.8% | 17 / 31 | Kolkata87.2% | Purulia63.6% |
| Literacy2011 | 22 Lakh | 1 / 32 | 24 Paraganas North76 Lakh | Kalimpong4.5 Lakh |
| Pre-Primary Attendance, Age 52021 | 19.0% | 11 / 31 | Medinipur West41.5% | Dinajpur Uttar4.1% |
| Women with 10+ Years of Schooling2021 | 30.5% | 25 / 31 | Kolkata55.4% | Murshidabad24.2% |
| Women's Literacy2021 | 73.6% | 21 / 31 | Kolkata87.6% | Purulia61.0% |
Health & Nutrition
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adequate Diet, Children 6–23 Months2021 | 24.6% | 2 / 31 | Dinajpur Dakshin34.2% | Murshidabad7.8% |
| Child Anaemia2021 | 68.1% | 13 / 31 | Purulia77.9% | 24 Paraganas North57.9% |
| Child Overweight2021 | 3.6% | 18 / 31 | Darjeeling8.2% | Purulia1.0% |
| Child Stunting2021 | 31.9% | 15 / 31 | Dinajpur Uttar44.8% | Medinipur East25.8% |
| Child Underweight2021 | 32.0% | 11 / 31 | Purulia46.3% | Coochbehar22.5% |
| Child Wasting2021 | 20.6% | 8 / 31 | Jhargram30.3% | 24 Paraganas North13.3% |
| Exclusive Breastfeeding, Under 6 Months2021 | 59.8% | 20 / 26 | 24 Paraganas South73.5% | Murshidabad39.0% |
| Iodized Salt Use2021 | 94.8% | 25 / 31 | 24 Paraganas North98.9% | Bankura86.8% |
| Women Overweight or Obese, BMI ≥ 252021 | 21.2% | 19 / 31 | Hooghly34.6% | Purulia9.6% |
| Women Underweight, BMI < 18.52021 | 15.8% | 16 / 31 | Purulia33.7% | 24 Paraganas North6.5% |
| Women's Anaemia, 15–492021 | 73.4% | 1 / 31 | Dinajpur Dakshin82.0% | Kolkata58.2% |
Health Coverage
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4+ Antenatal Care Visits2021 | 76.4% | 10 / 31 | 24 Paraganas North89.9% | Medinipur East56.8% |
| Alcohol Consumption, Age 15+2021 | 10.0% | 22 / 31 | Kalimpong19.6% | Nadia5.7% |
| Breast Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 0.2% | 14 / 31 | Paschim Bardhaman1.3% | Jhargram0.0% |
| Caesarean Delivery Rate2021 | 28.7% | 9 / 31 | Nadia58.2% | Purulia11.9% |
| Cervical Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 0.2% | 26 / 31 | Paschim Bardhaman0.7% | Alipurduar0.0% |
| Elevated Blood Pressure2021 | 19.8% | 22 / 31 | Darjeeling29.4% | Birbhum15.8% |
| Full Immunization2021 | 87.9% | 6 / 30 | Purba Bardhaman97.2% | Paschim Bardhaman62.4% |
| Health Insurance Coverage2021 | 28.3% | 18 / 31 | Bankura43.4% | Howrah20.1% |
| Institutional Births2021 | 93.0% | 16 / 31 | Kalimpong98.4% | Dinajpur Uttar76.9% |
| Menstrual Hygiene, Age 15–242021 | 82.3% | 19 / 31 | Kolkata97.5% | Jhargram67.3% |
| Modern Contraceptive Use2021 | 61.0% | 13 / 31 | Birbhum73.9% | Purulia41.3% |
| ORS for Childhood Diarrhoea2021 | 72.2% | 5 / 18 | Bankura87.3% | Dinajpur Uttar64.9% |
| Oral Cancer Screening, Women 30–492021 | 0.2% | 20 / 31 | Hooghly0.6% | Alipurduar0.0% |
| Out-of-Pocket Cost per Public-Facility Delivery2021Rs. | 2,499 | 22 / 31 | Hooghly4,558 | Birbhum1,391 |
| Tobacco Use, Age 15+2021 | 30.4% | 11 / 31 | Coochbehar39.7% | Murshidabad24.8% |
| Unmet Need for Family Planning2021 | 5.9% | 27 / 31 | Purulia16.1% | Kolkata2.2% |
| Very High Blood Sugar, >160 mg/dl2021 | 8.4% | 5 / 31 | Medinipur East11.5% | Kalimpong5.7% |
Population & Density
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population2011 | 39 Lakh | 1 / 32 | 24 Paraganas North1.0 Cr | Kalimpong6.4 Lakh |
| Population2020 | 40 Lakh | 1 / 32 | 24 Paraganas South1.1 Cr | Kalimpong2.3 Lakh |
| Population Density2011/km² | 1,065 | 5 / 32 | Kolkata23,651 | Purulia470 |
| Population Density2020/km² | 941 | 6 / 32 | Kolkata25,221 | Kalimpong211 |
Railway
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Nearest Railway Stationkm | 5.342 | 29 / 32 | Dinajpur Uttar29.793 | Paschim Bardhaman1.814 |
| Railway Line Densitykm per 100 km² | 4.738 | 3 / 32 | Kolkata24.11 | Kalimpong0.446 |
| Railway Line Kilometreskm | 187.165 | 1 / 32 | Purba Bardhaman315.089 | Kalimpong4.861 |
| Railway Line Km per Million Peoplekm per million | 38.323 | 16 / 32 | Paschim Bardhaman105.97 | Kalimpong7.626 |
| Railway Station Densityper 1,000 km² | 8.289 | 2 / 32 | Kolkata137.566 | Kalimpong0 |
| Railway Stations | 28 | 1 / 32 | Purba Bardhaman69 | Kalimpong0 |
| Railway Stations per Million Peopleper million | 7.785 | 9 / 32 | Purulia12.627 | Kalimpong0 |
| Railway Under Constructionkm | 1.953 | 1 / 32 | Hooghly48.838 | Coochbehar0 |
Roads
| Indicator | Median | Rank | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four-Lane Highway Share | 73.9% | 9 / 26 | Hooghly100.0% | Alipurduar0.0% |
| Four-Lane-or-Wider Highway Lengthkm | 22.669 | 13 / 32 | Dinajpur Uttar138.223 | Purulia0 |
| Highway Length With a Recorded Lane Countkm | 38.218 | 17 / 32 | Dinajpur Uttar147.974 | Kalimpong0 |
| National Highway Densitykm per 100 km² | 4.885 | 17 / 32 | Darjeeling10.301 | Jhargram0.982 |
| National Highway Lengthkm | 167.016 | 9 / 32 | Murshidabad314.868 | Kolkata13.318 |
| National Highway Under Construction or Proposedkm | 0 | 3 / 32 | Maldah13.724 | Dinajpur Dakshin0 |
All districts
| District | Population 2020 | Area | Literacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Paraganas North | 99 Lakh | 3,998 km² | 76.0% |
| 24 Paraganas South | 1.1 Cr | 7,672 km² | 67.8% |
| Alipurduar | 14 Lakh | 2,787 km² | 64.5% |
| Bankura | 39 Lakh | 6,902 km² | 62.1% |
| Birbhum | 40 Lakh | 4,532 km² | 61.6% |
| Coochbehar | 32 Lakh | 3,378 km² | 65.6% |
| Darjeeling | 17 Lakh | 2,034 km² | 71.2% |
| Dinajpur Dakshin | 18 Lakh | 2,246 km² | 64.6% |
| Dinajpur Uttar | 32 Lakh | 3,126 km² | 49.5% |
| Hooghly | 56 Lakh | 3,133 km² | 73.9% |
| Howrah | 43 Lakh | 1,474 km² | 74.3% |
| Jalpaiguri | 27 Lakh | 3,424 km² | 64.5% |
| Jhargram | 12 Lakh | 3,100 km² | 68.9% |
| Kalimpong | 2.3 Lakh | 1,091 km² | 71.2% |
| Kolkata | 50 Lakh | 196 km² | 79.8% |
| Maldah | 43 Lakh | 3,607 km² | 52.3% |
| Medinipur East | 56 Lakh | 3,927 km² | 77.0% |
| Medinipur West | 54 Lakh | 6,303 km² | 69.0% |
| Murshidabad | 81 Lakh | 5,343 km² | 57.1% |
| Nadia | 53 Lakh | 3,905 km² | 67.4% |
| Paschim Bardhaman | 38 Lakh | 1,818 km² | 67.9% |
| Purba Bardhaman | 46 Lakh | 5,191 km² | 68.0% |
| Purulia | 33 Lakh | 6,228 km² | 55.5% |
4 of West Bengal's districts were created after the 2011 Census and have no census row of their own. Their literacy figure is their predecessor's; their census head counts are withheld rather than estimated, on their own pages and in the state totals above, which is why population here is WorldPop's 2020 measurement rather than a census sum. Methodology
Compare West Bengal's districts on a map, add layers and run a scatter — open the atlas, or browse every district in India or all states.