Lesson 1/34 min
Administrative tiers: division to upazila
The country is administered in tiers: division, district, upazila. Each tier has a government-appointed official at its head. This is government administration; elected local government is a separate topic, covered in the next lessons.
Who heads which tier
| Tier | Head |
|---|---|
| Division | Divisional Commissioner |
| District | Deputy Commissioner (DC) |
| Upazila | Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) |
| Ministry | Secretary (administrative head); the minister is the executive head |
| District police | Superintendent of Police (SP) |
| Metropolitan police | Police Commissioner |
Watch out: Watch out: division-district-upazila administration is not the same as local government. The printed answer to “which is not local government?” is: district administration.
The 8 divisions and their districts (64 in all)
| Division | Districts |
|---|---|
| Dhaka | 13 |
| Chattogram | 11 |
| Khulna | 10 |
| Rajshahi | 8 |
| Rangpur | 8 |
| Barishal | 6 |
| Sylhet | 4 |
| Mymensingh | 4 |
Division and district records
- Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Khulna are the old divisions; then came Barishal (1993), Sylhet (1995), Rangpur (2010) and Mymensingh (2015)
- The newest division is Mymensingh, which is also the smallest by area; the largest is Chattogram
- The largest district by area is Rangamati; the smallest is Narayanganj
Administrative units: counts (November 2026; they change)
| Unit | Number |
|---|---|
| Divisions | 8 |
| Districts | 64 |
| Upazilas | about 500 |
| City corporations | 13 |
| Municipalities (pourashavas) | 330 |
| Union parishads | about 4,600 |
Watch out: Many books give 495 upazilas, 12 city corporations and 331 municipalities. In 2026 new upazilas were approved (May and July) and Bogura was declared a city corporation. So the total number of upazilas differs between sources and is given here as ‘about 500’. The union count also differs a little between sources (about 4,600).
Check yourself
Who is the administrative head of a district?
At a glance
- 1
8 divisions, 64 districts; Dhaka has the most districts (13), Sylhet and Mymensingh the fewest (4 each).
- 2
A division is headed by a Commissioner, a district by the DC, an upazila by the UNO.
- 3
The newest division is Mymensingh (2015); it is also the smallest by area.
- 4
The largest district by area is Rangamati, the smallest is Narayanganj.
- 5
District administration is not local government; local government means elected councils.
- 6
November 2026: about 500 upazilas (growing in 2026), 13 city corporations, 330 municipalities (older book figures: 495, 12, 331).