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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa represents the third-most populous administrative unit within the Islamic Republic of Pakistan by population, whilst remaining the smallest provincial territory by geographical extent.
Administratively, the province is subdivided into forty districts organised under seven divisions as of October 2025.
The demographic composition of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for approximately 4.08 crore inhabitants as recorded during the 2023 census, representing roughly thirteen percent of Pakistan's total population according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics estimates.
Following the 2018 constitutional integration of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into the provincial framework, numerous new administrative subdivisions were established to accommodate the expanded territorial jurisdiction.
Notably, recent administrative developments include the formal establishment of Paharpur District through bifurcation of Dera Ismail Khan district in late 2025.
History
1901 to 2010
Districts have constituted a fundamental component of civil administration throughout the Indian subcontinent since the colonial era. Upon establishment of the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) in November 1901, the territory was organised into five settled districts (Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Hazara, Kohat, and Peshawar) alongside a trans-border tract comprising five Political Agencies: Khyber, Kurram, Malakand, Tochi, and Wano.[1] Of these, four districts (Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, and Peshawar) were designated as "Trans-Indus" districts.
By the time of the Census of India 1941 under the British Indian government, Tochi Agency had been redesignated as North Waziristan Agency, and Wana Agency had become South Waziristan Agency. Additionally, two tehsils previously under Peshawar District's jurisdiction (Mardan and Swabi) were separated to constitute Mardan District, thereby establishing it as the fifth Trans-Indus district.[2] All six districts within the North-West Frontier Province were subsequently assigned corresponding Frontier Regions, which denoted tribal territories placed under the administrative supervision of the deputy commissioner from an adjoining district.
1947 to 1954
Following the creation of Pakistan, the six districts of the North-West Frontier Province retained their territorial boundaries and provincial status. However, the five tribal agencies and six frontier regions separated from the province to establish the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The FATA constituted a distinct administrative unit of Pakistan under federal governance from Islamabad, with a geographic area reportedly exceeding that of the North-West Frontier Province itself.
In 1951, portions of Malakand Agency were demarcated to form the newly established Mohmand Agency within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas framework.
1954 to 1972
In 1954, the One Unit policy commenced, consolidating all territories of West Pakistan into a single provincial entity. From 1954 until 1970, the North-West Frontier Province ceased to exist as an administrative unit. This dissolution precipitated the introduction of the region's first divisions (divisions had previously existed in Punjab and East Bengal, yet no other provinces maintained such administrative subdivisions prior to One Unit).
The territory formerly encompassing the North-West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas was allocated between two divisions: Dera Ismail Khan Division and Peshawar Division. Dera Ismail Khan Division comprised Bannu District, Dera Ismail Khan District, North Waziristan Agency, and South Waziristan Agency. Peshawar Division incorporated Hazara District, Kohat District, Mardan District, Peshawar District, Kurram Agency, Khyber Agency, Malakand Agency, and Mohmand Agency. At this juncture, the previously existing frontier regions were integrated into their respective districts.
The One Unit policy was terminated in 1970, restoring provinces to their original configurations (which also necessitated the separation of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas from the North-West Frontier Province once more, alongside the reinstatement of Frontier Regions as distinct administrative units). Divisions created under One Unit remained within the North-West Frontier Province but were entirely abolished in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
By the Census of Pakistan 1972, substantial alterations had been made to the administrative geography:
- Malakand Division had been established between 1961 and 1972 using territory covering much of the now-defunct Malakand Agency; it was subsequently subdivided into Chitral, Dir, Malakand, Shangla, and Swat districts.
- Hazara and Mardan Districts had absorbed their respective frontier regions.
- Bajaur Agency was established from portions of the defunct Malakand Agency not incorporated into Malakand Division.
Consequently, by 1972, the North-West Frontier Province was organised into three divisions and ten districts, whereas the Federally Administered Tribal Areas comprised six Political Agencies and four Frontier Regions. The administrative divisions of the region were structured as follows (districts and divisions that no longer exist are indicated in italics):[3]
| Province/territory | Divisions | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| North-West Frontier Province | Dera Ismail Khan Division | |
| Malakand Division | ||
| Peshawar Division | ||
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Political Agencies | |
| Frontier Regions |
1972 to 1981
Between 1972 and 1981, the administrative landscape underwent continuous restructuring, with new divisions and districts being carved out and cartographic adjustments persistently implemented.
Hazara Division was established from the territory of the now-defunct Hazara District along with portions of Swat District situated within Malakand Division. Hazara Division was subsequently partitioned into three districts: Abbottabad District (constituted from the Abbottabad, Amb, and Haripur Tehsils of Hazara District); Kohistan District (constituted from six tehsils of Swat District and eight union councils of Batagram Tehsil within Hazara District); and Mansehra District (constituted from Batagram Tehsil, excluding the eight union councils transferred to Kohistan District, alongside Mansehra Tehsil of Hazara District).
Orakzai Agency was created from portions of Frontier Region Kohat within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, with the latter continuing to exist albeit with reduced territorial extent.
Consequently, by the time of the 1981 Census of Pakistan, the North-West Frontier Province comprised twelve districts (two additional compared to 1972) organised into four divisions (one additional compared to 1972), whilst the Federally Administered Tribal Areas encompassed seven Political Agencies (one additional compared to 1972) and four Frontier Regions. A list of these administrative units is provided below (districts and divisions that no longer exist are indicated in italics):[3][4]
| Province/territory | Divisions | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| North-West Frontier Province | Dera Ismail Khan Division | |
| Hazara Division | ||
| Malakand Division | ||
| Peshawar Division | ||
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Political Agencies | |
| Frontier Regions |
1981 to 1998
Between the 1981 and 1998 censuses of Pakistan, numerous alterations were effected upon the administrative map of the North-West Frontier Province:
Dir District was bifurcated into Lower Dir District (comprising the sub-divisions of Dir and Wari) and Upper Dir District (comprising the sub-divisions of Timergara and Jandool). The sub-divisions of Daggar/Buner and Alpuri were separated from Swat District to constitute the districts of Buner and Shangla, respectively.
Batagram Tehsil was detached from Mansehra District to form the newly established Batagram District. Concurrently, numerous union councils formerly part of Abbottabad District (the majority of which had belonged to Amb Tehsil prior to 1981) were incorporated into Mansehra District. The residual territory of Abbottabad District was divided into Haripur District (constituted from Haripur Tehsil and portions of Abbottabad Tehsil) and a redrawn Abbottabad District (constituted from Abbottabad Tehsil excluding the portions transferred to Haripur District).
Mardan Division was created from Mardan District (previously within Peshawar Division) and was subdivided into Mardan District (encompassing the area of Mardan Tehsil) and Swabi District (encompassing the area of Swabi Tehsil), both formerly constituent parts of Mardan District.
Kohat Division was established from Kohat District (previously within Peshawar Division) and was partitioned into Karak District (encompassing Karak Tehsil and portions of Hangu and Kohat Tehsils, all formerly part of Kohat District), Kohat District (encompassing Kohat Tehsil minus the portions absorbed into Karak District), and Hangu District (encompassing Hangu Tehsil minus the portions absorbed into Karak District).
Peshawar District was trifurcated into Charsadda District (elevated from Charsadda Tehsil), Nowshera District (constituted from the greater part of Nowshera Tehsil's territory), and Peshawar District (constituted from Peshawar Tehsil and portions of Nowshera Tehsil).
Bannu Division was formed from Bannu District (previously within Dera Ismail Khan Division) and was subdivided into Bannu District (encompassing the greater portion of Bannu Tehsil) and Lakki Marwat District (encompassing Lakki Marwat Tehsil along with portions of Bannu Tehsil).
Dera Ismail Khan District was bifurcated into Dera Ismail Khan District (constituted from Dera Ismail Khan Tehsil) and Tank District (constituted from Tank Tehsil).
Regarding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the agencies remained unchanged and retained the identical borders held in 1981. However, two additional frontier regions were established: Frontier Region Lakki Marwat and Frontier Region Tank. Both were carved from portions of Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan, which, as of 1981, had been divided into two non-contiguous sections. The northern section was further partitioned into Frontier Region Lakki Marwat and Frontier Region Tank upon the creation of Lakki Marwat and Tank Districts, whilst Frontier Region Dera Ismail Khan retained the southern section.
Consequently, by the time of the 1998 Census of Pakistan, the North-West Frontier Province comprised twenty-four districts (twelve additional compared to 1981) organised into seven divisions (three additional compared to 1981), whilst the Federally Administered Tribal Areas encompassed seven Political Agencies and six Frontier Regions (two additional compared to 1981). A list of these administrative units is provided below (districts and divisions that no longer exist are indicated in italics):[4]
| Province/territory | Divisions | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| North-West Frontier Province | Bannu Division | |
| Dera Ismail Khan Division | ||
| Hazara Division | ||
| Kohat Division | ||
| Malakand Division | ||
| Mardan Division | ||
| Peshawar Division | ||
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Political Agencies | |
| Frontier Regions |
1998 to 2017
In August 2000, all administrative divisions throughout Pakistan were abolished; however, they were reinstated in their exact previous forms eight years later following the 2008 elections.
Conversely, no alterations occurred to the 1998 district configuration for over a decade until 2010, when the North-West Frontier Province was redesignated as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Subsequently, in 2011, Kala Dhaka Tehsil was separated from Mansehra District to form Torghar District, the twenty-fifth district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[VERIFY] These twenty-five districts (comprising the twenty-four districts established in 1998 alongside Torghar) constituted the only districts recorded as part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the 2017 Census.
Consequently, by the time of the 2017 Census of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa comprised twenty-five districts (one additional compared to 1998) organised into seven divisions, whilst the Federally Administered Tribal Areas encompassed seven Political Agencies and six Frontier Regions. A list of these administrative units is provided below (districts and divisions that no longer exist are indicated in italics):[5][6]
| Province/territory | Divisions | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| North-West Frontier Province (renamed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2010) |
Bannu Division | |
| Dera Ismail Khan Division | ||
| Hazara Division | ||
| Kohat Division | ||
| Malakand Division | ||
| Mardan Division | ||
| Peshawar Division | ||
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Political Agencies | |
| Frontier Regions |
2017 to present
In 2014, Kohistan District was bifurcated into Upper Kohistan District and Lower Kohistan District; however, tensions surrounding this bifurcation remained unresolved until late 2017, following the 2017 census. At that juncture, Kolai-Palas District was also established. Consequently, Kohistan District remained a single legal administrative unit until after the 2017 census (the bifurcation was deferred due to political tensions and was not effectuated until late 2017, when Kohistan District was ultimately divided into three districts).
On 31 May 2018, the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was enacted.[VERIFY] This amendment merged the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fundamentally altering the province's borders and administrative configuration. Each of the seven agencies comprising the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Bajaur, Kurram, Khyber, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai, and South Waziristan) was converted into an individual district and incorporated into an adjoining division (Bajaur District was integrated into Malakand Division; Khyber and Mohmand Districts were merged into Peshawar Division; Kurram and Orakzai Districts joined Kohat Division; North Waziristan District was added to Bannu Division; and South Waziristan District was incorporated into Dera Ismail Khan Division). The six Frontier Regions were absorbed into their adjacent districts (Frontier Region Bannu was merged into Bannu District; Frontier Region Kohat was merged into Kohat District, et cetera).
In late 2018, Chitral District, formerly the province's largest district by area, was bifurcated into Upper Chitral District (constituted from Mastuj Tehsil) and Lower Chitral District (constituted from Chitral Tehsil). In 2022, South Waziristan District was bifurcated into Upper South Waziristan (headquartered at Spinkai Karzai) and Lower South Waziristan (headquartered at Wana). In January 2023, Allai was elevated to full district status from Allai Tehsil of Battagram District.
Also in January 2023, Allai was granted full district status from the Allai Tehsil of Battagram.[VERIFY] In October 2025, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government divided Swat District into Upper Swat District and simultaneously created Paharpur District from territory formerly part of Dera Ismail Khan.
Proposed districts
- Additional demands for new districts
- From time to time, several chief ministers and elected representatives, such as MLAs and MPs, have proposed the following new districts
| Proposed District | Proposed Headquarters | Current District | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bala Kot district | Balakot | Mansehra district | Hazara division |
| Oghi district | Oghi | Mansehra district | Hazara division |
| Jandool district | Samarbagh | Lower Dir district | Malakand division |
| Kulachi district | Kulachi | Dera Ismail Khan district | Dera Ismail Khan division |
1998 to 2017
Notes and References
Notes
References
- ↑ Census of India, 1911. Volume XIII. North-west Frontier Province. 1911 - North West Frontier Province - Vol I and II.pdf. Superintendent of Census Operations(1912). Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ↑ Census of India, 1941 Volume X. North-West Frontier Province, Volume X. Government of India. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named1981Census - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named1998Data - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named2017Districts - ↑ PROVINCE WISE PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF CENSUS - 2017. PAKISTAN TEHSIL WISE FOR WEB CENSUS_2017.pdf. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 June 2020.