Sylhet District


Sylhet District, located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital.

History

Sylhet District was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Province under 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. 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 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

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%, 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, of which 2834 were Manipuri, 1,845 Patro and 1,530 Khasi.

Administration

Sylhet District is divided into thirteen upazilas.
The upazilas are:
Sylhet has a typical Bangladeshi tropical monsoon climate bordering on a humid subtropical climate 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 occurs between May and September.
The city is located within the region where there are hills and basins which constitute one of the most distinctive regions in Bangladesh. 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. Available 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 here 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.

Notable people