The list of districts in Karnataka is easy to misread when an older source uses a former name or stops before Vijayanagara. The National Informatics Centre directory currently lists 31 districts. Use its names as the starting point, then open a district’s own site when you need an address, service or notification.
A district is an administrative unit; a division is a larger grouping of districts. This page counts districts only. It does not turn old Census population figures into current estimates for districts whose names or boundaries have changed.
How many districts are in Karnataka?
Karnataka has 31 districts in the NIC Integrated Government Online Directory. The directory links district entries to their government portals. Use the state or district government for a later change; a printed list can lag an official notification.
List of Karnataka districts and government links
The 31 names below follow NIC’s current directory. Links open a district-government portal where it is available. For an unavailable portal, the row links to NIC’s district-specific directory entry instead. This table is alphabetical for quick lookup, not a division-wise or population ranking.
| District | Government link |
|---|---|
| Bagalkote | bagalkot.nic.in |
| Ballari | ballari.nic.in |
| Belagavi | NIC district entry |
| Bengaluru Rural | bangalorerural.nic.in |
| Bengaluru South | ramanagara.nic.in |
| Bengaluru Urban | bengaluruurban.nic.in |
| Bidar | bidar.nic.in |
| Chamarajanagar | chamrajnagar.nic.in |
| Chikkaballapura | chikkaballapur.nic.in |
| Chikkamagaluru | chikkamagaluru.nic.in |
| Chitradurga | chitradurga.nic.in |
| Dakshina Kannada | dk.nic.in |
| Davanagere | davanagere.nic.in |
| Dharwad | dharwad.nic.in |
| Gadag | gadag.nic.in |
| Hassan | hassan.nic.in |
| Haveri | haveri.nic.in |
| Kalaburagi | kalaburagi.nic.in |
| Kodagu | kodagu.nic.in |
| Kolar | kolar.nic.in |
| Koppal | koppal.nic.in |
| Mandya | mandya.nic.in |
| Mysuru | mysore.nic.in |
| Raichur | raichur.nic.in |
| Shivamogga | shimoga.nic.in |
| Tumakuru | NIC district entry |
| Udupi | udupi.nic.in |
| Uttara Kannada | uttarakannada.nic.in |
| Vijayanagara | vijayanagara.nic.in |
| Vijayapura | vijayapura.nic.in |
| Yadgir | yadgir.nic.in |
Which Karnataka district names are easy to confuse?
These distinctions matter when you compare a current district list with older notes or a map:
- Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru South are three separate entries. Don’t collapse them into one Bengaluru row.
- The directory now labels one entry Bengaluru South, although its linked district site still uses the ramanagara.nic.in address. Read the current display name and the legacy web address separately.
- Vijayanagara is listed separately from Ballari. A list that combines them won’t reproduce the directory’s 31 rows.
How should you study Karnataka’s districts?
For a Karnataka PSC or UPSC map question, first identify the district by its official name, then place it in the state’s broad physical region. The names alone won’t tell you a district’s present population, headquarters or exact boundary. Use the linked district site for a current administrative claim and a dated Census table for a historical population claim.
For the wider exam pattern, use our KPSC KAS exam guide. A district list is most useful when it sits beside an official map and a few relevant geography facts; the names by themselves are only the first layer.
Can you compare today’s districts with Census 2011 population figures?
Only with care. Census India’s population finder reports 2011 population, while this directory describes the current administrative list. When a district was created, renamed or redrawn later, its present row does not automatically have a directly comparable 2011 figure. Quote the source year and boundary basis with any population number.
More district lists
The same official-source method is used in our districts in Bihar and districts in Rajasthan guides. For Uttar Pradesh, use the existing UP district reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many districts are in Karnataka?
NIC’s current state directory lists 31 districts in Karnataka. Check the directory again if a later government notification changes the list.
Where can I find the official Karnataka district list?
Use NIC’s state-wise Integrated Government Online Directory. The table on this page follows its 31 rows and links district-government portals or NIC entries.
Is Bengaluru South a separate district in the directory?
Yes. NIC lists Bengaluru South, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban as separate Karnataka district entries. The Bengaluru South entry links to a district site whose address still contains Ramanagara.
Are district and division the same thing?
No. A district is an administrative unit; a division groups districts where the state uses that layer. A district count cannot be read as a division count.
Do the current districts all have Census 2011 population figures?
Not automatically. Census 2011 used its own district boundaries. A later district may need a separately documented boundary-adjusted figure, so state the year and source with any population number.
Tell Google you want more of this.
Add Anantam IAS as a preferred sourceOne tap, and this site shows up more often in your own Top Stories, AI Overviews and AI Mode. Remove it any time.
