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Sylhet District (Bengali: সিলেট জেলা), located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital.
Administrative functions of Sylhet District commenced in 1772 when the East India Company appointed William Makepeace Thackeray as its first collector. And until 1878 it remained a part of Bengal Province under the Dhaka Division. However, in that year, Sylhet was moved to the newly created Assam Province, and it remained as part of Assam up to 1947 (except during the administrative reorganisation of Bengal Province between 1905 and 1912). Sylhet District was divided into five subdivisions and the current Sylhet District was known as the North Sylhet subdivision. In 1947, Sylhet became a part of East Pakistan as a result of a referendum (except 31⁄2 thanas of Karimganj subdivision) as part of Chittagong Division. It was subdivided into four districts in 1983–84 with the current Sylhet District being known as North Sylhet. It became a part of Sylhet Division after its formation in 1995. Sylhet has played a vital role in the Bangladeshi economy. Several of Bangladesh's finance ministers have been Members of Parliament from the city of Sylhet.
Demographics
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1981
1,777,784
—
1991
2,153,301
+1.93%
2001
2,555,566
+1.73%
2011
3,434,188
+3.00%
2022
3,857,123
+1.06%
Sources:
According to 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Sylhet district had 746854 households and a population of 3,857,123, 26.25% of whom lived in urban areas. The population density was 1,117 people per square kilometre. 20.29% were under 10 years of age. Sylhet district had a literacy rate of 76.43% (for 7 years and above), compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 96.74 males per 100 females.
According to the census, Sylhet's literacy rate has increased to 76.43%. In contrast, it was 51.18% in 2011, 45.49% in 2001, and 33.85% in 1991. In Sylhet, 89.25% of students were enrolled in general education. Additionally, 7.95% are pursuing religious education, 0.40% are in technical education, and 2.40% are in other forms of education.
In 2022, 65.37% of people aged 15 and above had their own mobile phones. Moreover, 42.02% are internet users, and 31.87% had accounts in banks or financial institutions. The same percentage, 31.87%, also had mobile banking accounts.
According to the 1991 census, 12.99% of people in Sylhet had access to electricity. This increased to 35.14% in 2001 and 62.92% in 2011. As of the 2022 census, this figure has risen to 99.27%.
In terms of employment, 35.58% of Sylhet's population is engaged in agriculture. Additionally, 10.60% are involved in industry, while the remaining 53.82% are engaged in various services.
According to the 2022 data, 92.57% of the total population in Sylhet were Muslims, and 7.33% were Hindus. There is a population of 2,700 Christians mainly in Gowainghat and Jaintiapur upazilas. Ethnic population is 16,508 (0.43%), of which 2834 were Manipuri, 1,845 Patro and 1,530 Khasi.
Administration
Sylhet District upazila geocode map
Sylhet District is divided into thirteen upazilas.
Sylhet has a typical Bangladeshi tropical monsoon climate (KöppenAm) bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) at higher elevations. The rainy season starts from April to October and it is so hot and humid with very heavy showers and thunderstorms almost every day, whilst the short dry season starts from November to February and it is very warm and fairly clear. Nearly 80% of the annual average rainfall of 4,200 millimetres (170in) occurs between May and September.
The physiography of Sylhet consists mainly of hill soils, encompassing a few large depressions known locally as "beels" which can be mainly classified as oxbow lakes, caused by tectonic subsidence primarily during the earthquake of 1762.
Geologically, the region is complex, having diverse sacrificial geomorphology; high topography of Plio-Miocene age. Limestone deposits in different parts of the region suggest that the whole area was under the ocean in the Oligo-Miocene. In the last 150 years. three major earthquakes hit the city at a magnitude of at least 7.5 on the Richter Scale, the last one took place in 1918, although many people are unaware that Sylhet lies on an earthquake prone zone.
Shah Arefin Tila is a boulder-rich hill located in Companiganj Upazila of Sylhet District, Bangladesh. It forms part of Sylhet's renowned 'white stone' zone and has both touristic and geological value. Stone extraction at the hill was officially banned in 2016 due to environmental concerns. Later, in 2025, the Interim Government of Muhammad Yunus suspended leases of 17 quarries nationwide, including Shah Arefin Tila.
Climate data for Sylhet (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1952–present)
↑1941 figures correspond to North Sylhet subdivision and Beanibazar thana of erstwhile Sylhet district, along with part of Karimganj thana. Projected 1941 religion figures for present-day Zakiganj Upazila (which at the time was a rural area of Karimganj thana) were obtained by using the ratio of current upazila population to the 2011 population of erstwhile Karimganj thana to estimate the 1941 population, and assuming religious demographics in rural areas were uniform across erstwhile Karimganj thana.
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Bangladesh
