Maharashtra is an Indian state that was formed on 1 May 1960 with 26 initial districts. Since then, 10 additional districts have been created, the most recent of which is Palghar district. The state currently has 36 districts. These districts are grouped into six administrative divisions shown below.

All divisions in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts, which are grouped into six divisions.

Regions Geographically, historically, politically, and according to cultural sentiments, Maharashtra has five main regions:

Konkan (Konkan division) Western Maharashtra (Desh), also known as Desh (Pune division) North Maharashtra (Nashik division) - contains Khandesh Marathwada (Aurangabad division) Vidarbha (Nagpur and Amravati divisions) - formerly Central Provinces and Berar

Divisions Name of division(headquarters) Region Districts Largest cityPopulation (2011)AreaPune division(HQ: Pune) DeshPune23,449,04958,268 Amravati division(HQ: Amravati) Vidarbha (Varhad) Amravati11,258,11746,090 Aurangabad division(HQ: Aurangabad) Marathwada Aurangabad 18,731,87264,590.58 Nagpur division(HQ: Nagpur) Vidarbha Nagpur11,754,43451,336 Nashik division(HQ: Nashik) North Maharashtra (Khandesh) Nashik18,579,42057,268 Konkan division(HQ: Mumbai) Konkan Mumbai28,601,44130,728

Districts

The table below lists important geographic and demographic parameters for all 36 districts. Population data are extracted from the 2011 Census of India.

No Name Code Formed Headquarters Administrativedivision Area (km2) Population (2011 Census) % of statePopulation Density(per km2) Urban (%) Literacy (%) Sex ratio Tehsils Source 1 Ahmednagar AH 1 May 1960 Ahmednagar Nashik 17,048 4,543,159 4.04% 234.77 19.67 79.05 941 14 district website 2Akola AK 1 May 1960 Akola Amravati 5,428 1,813,906 1.61% 300.78 53.23 88.05 938 7 district website 3Amravati AM 1 May 1960 Amravati Amravati 12,235 2,888,445 2.57% 206.40 34.50 87.38 838 14 district website 4Aurangabad AU 1 May 1960 Aurangabad Aurangabad 10,100 3,701,282 3.29% 286.83 37.53 79.08 924 9 district website 5Beed BI 1 May 1960 Beed Aurangabad 10,693 2,585,049 1.07% 207.04 17.91 76.99 936 11 district website 6Bhandara BH 1 May 1960 Bhandara Nagpur 3,717 1,200,334 1.07% 305.58 15.44 83.76 982 7 district website 7Buldhana BU 1 May 1960 Buldhana Amravati 9,661 2,586,258 2.30% 230.63 21.2 83.40 946 13 district website 8Chandrapur CH 1 May 1960 Chandrapur Nagpur 11,443 2,204,307 1.96% 193.65 32.11 80.01 948 15 district website 9Dhule DH 1 May 1960 Dhule Nashik 7,195 2,050,862 1.83% 211.83 26.11 72.80 944 4 district website 10Gadchiroli GA 26 August 1982 Gadchiroli Nagpur 14,412 1,072,942 0.95% 67.33 6.93 74.36 976 12 district website 11Gondia GO 1 May 1999 Gondia Nagpur 5,234 1,322,507 1.18% 247.81 11.95 84.95 1005 8 district website 12Hingoli HI 1 May 1999 Hingoli Aurangabad 4,526 1,177,345 1.05% 218.11 15.2 78.17 953 5 district website 13Jalgaon JG 1 May 1960 Jalgaon Nashik 11,765 4,229,917 3.76% 312.79 71.4 78.20 932 15 district website 14Jalna JN 1 May 1981 Jalna Aurangabad 7,687 1,959,046 1.74% 211.82 19.09 71.52 952 8 district website 15Kolhapur KO 1 May 1960 Kolhapur Pune 7,685 3,876,001 3.45% 457.44 29.65 81.51 949 12 district website 16Latur LA 16 August 1982 Latur Aurangabad 7,157 2,454,196 2.18% 282.19 23.57 77.26 935 10 district website 17Mumbai City MC 1 May 1960 Mumbai Konkan 157 3,085,411 2.75% 49,140.9 100 89.21 777 0 district website 18Mumbai Suburban MU 1 October 1990 Bandra Konkan 446 9,356,962 8.33% 23,271 100 89.91 822 3 district website 19 Nagpur NG 1 May 1960 Nagpur Nagpur 9,892 4,653,570 4.14% 409.36 64.33 88.39 933 14 district website 20 Nanded ND 1 May 1960 Nanded Aurangabad 10,528 3,361,292 2.99% 275.98 28.29 75.45 942 16 district website 21 Nandurbar NB 1 July 1998 Nandurbar Nashik 5,955 1,648,295 1.47% 260 15.5 64.38 975 6 district website 22 Nashik NS 1 May 1960 Nashik Nashik 15,582 6,107,187 5.43% 321.56 38.8 82.31 927 15 district website 23 Osmanabad OS 1 May 1960 Osmanabad Aurangabad 7,569 1,657,576 1.48% 197.89 17.0 78.44 924 8 district website 24 Palghar PL 1 August 2014 Palghar Konkan 5,344 2,990,116 2.66% 562 50 N.A. 900 8 district website 25 Parbhani PA 1 May 1960 Parbhani Aurangabad 6,251 1,836,086 1.63% 244.4 31.8 73.34 958 9 district website 26 Pune PU 1 May 1960 Pune Pune 15,643 9,429,408 8.39% 461.85 58.1 86.15 919 14 district website 27 Raigad RG 1 May 1960 Alibag Konkan 7,152 2,634,200 2.34% 308.89 24.2 83.14 976 15 district website 28 Ratnagiri RT 1 May 1960 Ratnagiri Konkan 8,208 1,615,069 1.44% 206.72 11.3 82.18 1,136 9 district website 29 Sangli SN 1 May 1960 Sangli Pune 8,578 2,822,143 2.51% 301.18 24.5 81.48 957 10 district website 30 Satara ST 1 May 1960 Satara Pune 10,480 3,003,741 2.67% 266.77 14.2 82.87 995 11 district website 31 Sindhudurg SI 1 May 1981 Oros Konkan 5,207 849,651 0.76% 166.86 9.5 85.56 1,079 8 district website 32 Solapur SO 1 May 1960 Solapur Pune 14,895 4,317,756 3.84% 259.32 31.8 77.02 935 11 district website 33 Thane TH 1 May 1960 Thane Konkan 4,214 8,070,032 7.18% 850.71 72.58 84.53 858 7 district website 34 Wardha WR 1 May 1960 Wardha Nagpur 6,310 1,300,774 1.16% 195.03 25.17 86.99 936 8 district website 35 Washim WS 1 July 1998 Washim Amravati 5,150 1,197,160 1.07% 275.98 17.49 83.25 939 6 district website 36 Yavatmal YTL 1 May 1960 Yavatmal Amravati 13,582 2,772,348 2.47% 152.93 18.6 82.82 951 16 district website - Maharashtra - - - - 112,374,333 100% 314.42 42.43 77.27 922 - -

Proposals for new districts Demands for the administrative bifurcation and reorganization of existing districts in Maharashtra are driven by the challenges of governing extensive geographical territories and managing high-density urban populations. In 2015, public representatives and former ministers formally petitioned for the creation of several districts to support rural and tribal blocks, including Katol, Chimur, Pusad, Khamgaon, Achalpur, and Aheri.

Subsequently, in 2018, the state government under then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis constituted a high-level committee led by the Chief Secretary to systematically evaluate these needs. The committee submitted a structural proposal to create 22 new districts across the state to streamline public utility delivery and optimize regional governance.

+ List of Proposed Districts in Maharashtra Grouped by Current District Proposed District Expected Area of Jurisdiction Rationale / Status Proposed from Ahmednagar Sangamner Northwestern blocks of Ahmednagar district. Included in the 2018 restructuring committee report to optimize administrative focus in the northwestern upper valley area. Shirdi Northern transit and pilgrim tracts of the district. Proposed to establish dedicated administrative machinery for handling heavy religious tourism and commercial infrastructure. Shrirampur Central-northern agricultural and manufacturing blocks. Part of a long-standing proposal to split the expansive territory of Ahmednagar district into more manageable units. Proposed from Amravati Achalpur Northern sub-divisions bordering Madhya Pradesh. Demanded by regional leaders in 2015 to bring public service access closer to populations in the northern sub-mountainous blocks. Proposed from Beed Ambajogai Southeastern blocks of Beed district. Recommended by the 2018 government committee to decentralize administrative delivery away from Beed city. Proposed from Bhandara Sakoli Eastern and southern blocks of Bhandara. Proposed to optimize local governance and focus on the distinct forestry and agrarian challenges of the eastern sectors. Proposed from Buldhana Khamgaon Eastern commercial and industrial blocks of Buldhana. Initially requested in 2015 to decouple the high-density market centers of the east from Buldhana town's administration. Proposed from Chandrapur Chimur Northern mineral-rich and forest blocks of Chandrapur. First formally proposed in 2015 to bridge the geographical and developmental gap for northern communities. Proposed from Gadchiroli Aheri Expansive southern tribal and forest belt of Gadchiroli. Highly localized demand aimed at establishing basic state utility presence in the extreme remote and left-wing extremism-affected southern blocks. Proposed from Jalgaon Bhusawal Central-eastern urban and major railway junction zone. Proposed to create a compact urban district centered around Bhusawal to manage high demographic density. Proposed from Latur Udgir Eastern blocks bordering Karnataka and Telangana. Evaluated by the 2018 panel to streamline border-area administration and reduce transit times for peripheral residents. Proposed from Nagpur Katol Western citrus-growing agricultural belt of Nagpur. Demanded in 2015 to better serve the logistical and economic requirements of the agrarian rural blocks. Parseoni Northern industrial and mining blocks. Included in the 2018 executive framework to accommodate rapid regional expansion north of Nagpur city. Proposed from Nanded Kinwat Remote northern forest blocks bordering Telangana. Proposed to improve infrastructure coordination and administrative oversight in isolated tribal tracts. Proposed from Nashik Kalwan Northern tribal and agricultural blocks of Nashik. Included in the 2018 committee recommendations to streamline development planning for northern hill communities. Malegaon High-density textile industrial center and northeastern blocks. A long-standing regional proposal aimed at separating the major urban industrial ecosystem of Malegaon from Nashik's primary core. Proposed from Palghar Jawhar Inland tribal and mountainous sub-divisions of eastern Palghar. Proposed to create a dedicated administrative unit for the interior blocks, which were left distant following Palghar's bifurcation from Thane. Proposed from Pune Shivneri Northern blocks of Pune district, centered around Junnar. Recommended by the 2018 panel to optimize historical tourism management and agrarian development in the north. Baramati Southeastern high-growth industrial and agricultural blocks. Proposed to decouple the dense corporate, sugar-industrial, and educational hubs of the southeast from Pune city's executive infrastructure. Proposed from Raigad Mahad Southern Konkan coastal and hilly tracts of Raigad. Evaluated in the 2018 state plan to improve public access and mitigate heavy monsoon transport disruptions in the south. Proposed from Ratnagiri Mandangad Extreme northern blocks of Ratnagiri district. Proposed to address geographical isolation caused by the rugged Konkan terrain, bringing district offices closer to remote residents. Proposed from Satara Mandesh Eastern drought-prone arid blocks of Satara and adjacent boundaries. Formulated to create a dedicated administrative focus toward managing irrigation, water security, and rural livelihood challenges. Proposed from Thane Mira-Bhayandar High-density municipal corporation area bordering Mumbai. Part of the 2018 government plan to separate rapidly expanding satellite city infrastructure from suburban Thane's jurisdiction. Navi Mumbai Planned metropolitan nodes along the harbor. Demanded to consolidate the complex metropolitan urban infrastructure under a singular, localized district administration. Kalyan Urban-industrial municipal conglomerate of Kalyan-Dombivli and peripheral blocks. Proposed to streamline heavy civic and industrial governance separate from Thane's central administrative loop. Proposed from Yavatmal Pusad Western blocks of Yavatmal district. A long-standing regional demand re-evaluated in 2015 to optimize public services in the western agricultural belts.

References

See also Tehsils in Maharashtra

References

Census of India