# List of cities and towns in West Bengal

West Bengal is the state with the second highest population density in India. The state is dotted with several large and medium cities and towns. Historically, the main source of income of the people of West Bengal has been farming, and, as a consequence, the state previously had a large rural population skew. At the turn of the 20th century, however, the role of industry in West Bengal increased substantially, leading to a population move into urban areas.
In 1947, when India gained independence, the erstwhile British Indian province of Bengal was divided into two parts: the eastern region formed East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh in 1971, and the western part joined India as the state of West Bengal. Scores of refugees from the eastern part came to West Bengal, leading to the start of new urban areas, and contributing to the congestion of already established cities like Kolkata.

## Current scenario

According to the 2011 Census of India, 128 cities and towns in West Bengal are classified into the following categories:

### Municipal Corporations (West Bengal, India)

| Sl. No. | City Name | Founder | GDP Per Capita (2024) (Standard of Living) | Population (2011) | District |
| 1 | Bidhannagar (BMC 2015) (Salt Lake City) | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (Best Chief Minister of West Bengal 1948-1962) (Hailed from a Bengali Hindu family of Khulna, Bengal, present-day Bangladesh/East Bengal) | $6,000 | 6,32,107 | North 24 Parganas |
| 2 | Kolkata (KMC 1876) | British Empire (1758-1947) of England (Europe) | $4,400 | 44,96,694 | Kolkata and South 24 Parganas |
| 3 | Durgapur (DMC 1994) | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (Best Chief Minister of West Bengal 1948-1962) (Hailed from a Bengali Hindu family of Khulna, Bengal, present-day Bangladesh/East Bengal) | $3,600 | 5,66,937 | West Burdwan |
| 4 | Siliguri (SMC 1994) | British Empire (1758-1947) of England (Europe) | $3,500 | 5,13,264 | Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri |
| 5 | Asansol (AMC 1994) | British Empire (1758-1947) of England (Europe) | $3,400 | 12,43,414 | West Burdwan |
| 6 | Howrah (HMC 1984) | Mughal Empire (1526-1757) of Uzbekistan (Central Asia) | $3,000 | 13,62,561 | Howrah |
| 7 | Chandannagar (CMC 1994) | French Empire (1534-1951) of France (Europe) | $2,400 | 1,66,867 | Hooghly |

### Municipalities

| Sl. No. | Town Name |
| 1 | Alipurduar |
| 2 | Arambag |
| 3 | Ashoknagar Kalyangarh |
| 4 | Baduria |
| 5 | Baharampur |
| 6 | Baidyabati |
| 7 | Bally |
| 8 | Balurghat |
| 9 | Bangaon |
| 10 | Bankura |
| 11 | Bansberia |
| 12 | Baranagar |
| 13 | Barasat |
| 14 | Bardhaman |
| 15 | Barrackpore |
| 16 | Baruipur |
| 17 | Basirhat |
| 18 | Beldanga |
| 19 | Bhadreswar |
| 20 | Bhatpara |
| 21 | Birnagar |
| 22 | Bishnupur |
| 23 | Bolpur |
| 24 | Budge Budge |
| 25 | Buniadpur |
| 26 | Chakdaha |
| 27 | Champdani |
| 28 | Chandrakona |
| 29 | Contai |
| 30 | Dainhat |
| 31 | Dalkhola |
| 32 | Dankuni |
| 33 | Darjeeling |
| 34 | Dhulian |
| 35 | Dhupguri |
| 36 | Diamond Harbour |
| 37 | Dinhata |
| 38 | Domkal |
| 39 | Dubrajpur |
| 40 | Dum Dum |
| 41 | Egra |
| 42 | English Bazar |
| 43 | Falakata |
| 44 | Gangarampur |
| 45 | Garulia |
| 46 | Gayespur |
| 47 | Ghatal |
| 48 | Gobardanga |
| 49 | Guskara |
| 50 | Habra |
| 51 | Haldia |
| 52 | Haldibari |
| 53 | Halisahar |
| 54 | Haringhata |
| 55 | Hugli-Chuchura |
| 56 | Islampur |
| 57 | Jalpaiguri |
| 58 | Jangipur |
| 59 | Jaynagar Majilpur |
| 60 | Jhalda |
| 61 | Jhargram |
| 62 | Jiaganj Azimganj |
| 63 | Kaliaganj |
| 64 | Kalimpong |
| 65 | Kalna |
| 66 | Kalyani |
| 67 | Kamarhati |
| 68 | Kanchrapara |
| 69 | Kandi |
| 70 | Katwa |
| 71 | Kharagpur |
| 72 | Kharar |
| 73 | Khardaha |
| 74 | Koch Bihar |
| 75 | Konnagar |
| 76 | Krishnanagar |
| 77 | Kshirpai |
| 78 | Kurseong |
| 79 | Madhyamgram |
| 80 | Maheshtala |
| 81 | Mainaguri |
| 82 | Mal |
| 83 | Mathabhanga |
| 84 | Mekliganj |
| 85 | Memari |
| 86 | Midnapore |
| 87 | Murshidabad |
| 88 | Nabadwip |
| 89 | Naihati |
| 90 | Nalhati |
| 91 | New Barrackpur |
| 92 | North Barrackpur |
| 93 | North Dumdum |
| 94 | Old Malda |
| 95 | Panskura |
| 96 | Panihati |
| 97 | Pujali |
| 98 | Purulia |
| 99 | Raghunathpur |
| 100 | Raiganj |
| 101 | Rajpur Sonarpur |
| 102 | Ramjibanpur |
| 103 | Rampurhat |
| 104 | Ranaghat |
| 105 | Rishra |
| 106 | Sainthia |
| 107 | Santipur |
| 108 | Serampore |
| 109 | Sonamukhi |
| 110 | South Dumdum |
| 111 | Suri |
| 112 | Taki |
| 113 | Tamluk |
| 114 | Tarakeswar |
| 115 | Titagarh |
| 116 | Tufanganj |
| 117 | Uluberia |
| 118 | Uttarpara Kotrung |

### Notified Area

| Sl. No. | Name |
| 1 | Cooper's Camp |
| 2 | Mirik |
| 3 | Taherpur |

## Major cities

| Rank | Name | District | Type | Population 2011 | Male | Female | Population below 5 yrs | Literacy rate |
| 1 | Kolkata | Kolkata, North 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly | UA | 14,112,536 | 7,319,682 | 6,792,854 | 1,063,394 | 88.33 |
| 2 | Asansol | Paschim Bardhaman | UA | 1,243,008 | 647,831 | 595,177 | 132,560 | 80.00 |
| 3 | Siliguri | Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri | UA | 701,489 | 359,750 | 341,739 | 72,252 | 82.05 |
| 4 | Durgapur | Paschim Bardhaman | UA | 581,409 | 301,700 | 279,709 | 51,930 | 87.70 |
| 5 | Bardhaman | Purba Bardhaman | UA | 347,016 | 177,055 | 169,961 | 25,069 | 88.62 |
| 6 | English Bazar | Malda | UA | 324,237 | 175,073 | 149,164 | 44,186 | 81.32 |
| 7 | Baharampur | Murshidabad | UA | 305,609 | 156,489 | 149,120 | 23,182 | 88.38 |
| 8 | Habra | North 24 Parganas | UA | 304,584 | 154,861 | 149,723 | 23,023 | 91.03 |
| 9 | Kharagpur | Paschim Medinipur | UA | 293,719 | 150,487 | 143,232 | 25,130 | 85.61 |
| 10 | Shantipur | Nadia | UA | 288,718 | 147,299 | 141,419 | 24,006 | 82.67 |
| 11 | Dankuni | Hooghly | UA | 249,840 | 128,139 | 121,701 | 22,956 | 85.69 |
| 12 | Dhulian | Murshidabad | UA | 239,022 | 119,151 | 119,871 | 45,483 | 60.06 |
| 13 | Ranaghat | Nadia | UA | 235,583 | 119,578 | 116,005 | 18,575 | 86.10 |
| 14 | Haldia | Purba Medinipur | City | 200,762 | 104,852 | 95,910 | 21,122 | 89.06 |
| 15 | Raiganj | Uttar Dinajpur | UA | 199,758 | 104,966 | 94,792 | 22,028 | 81.71 |
| 16 | Krishnanagar | Nadia | UA | 181,182 | 91,583 | 89,599 | 13,663 | 88.09 |
| 17 | Nabadwip | Nadia | UA | 175,474 | 90,810 | 84,664 | 13,049 | 84.57 |
| 18 | Medinipur | Paschim Medinipur | City | 169,127 | 85,362 | 83,765 | 14,365 | 90.01 |
| 19 | Jalpaiguri | Jalpaiguri | UA | 169,013 | 85,226 | 83,787 | 14,522 | 86.03 |
| 20 | Balurghat | Dakshin Dinajpur | UA | 164,593 | 82,466 | 82,127 | 10,349 | 91.66 |
| 21 | Basirhat | North 24 Parganas | UA | 144,891 | 73,491 | 71,400 | 12,578 | 86.88 |
| 22 | Bankura | Bankura | City | 138,036 | 70,734 | 67,302 | 10,760 | 87.27 |
| 23 | Chakdaha | Nadia | UA | 132,855 | 67,135 | 65,720 | 9,829 | 90.95 |
| 24 | Darjeeling | Darjeeling | UA | 132,016 | 65,839 | 66,177 | 7,382 | 93.17 |
| 25 | Alipurduar | Alipurduar | UA | 127,342 | 64,898 | 62,444 | 10,545 | 89.16 |
| 26 | Purulia | Purulia | UA | 126,894 | 65,334 | 61,560 | 12,116 | 81.53 |
| 27 | Jangipur | Murshidabad | UA | 122,875 | 62,734 | 60,141 | 16,299 | 75.71 |
| 28 | Bangaon | North 24 Parganas | City | 110,668 | 56,416 | 54,252 | 8,452 | 90.25 |
| 29 | Cooch Behar | Cooch Behar | UA | 106,760 | 53,803 | 52,957 | 7,910 | 91.75 |

## List of urban areas (district-wise)

| District | Headquarters | Municipal Corporations | Municipalities | Census Towns | Special Urban Units |
| Alipurduar | Alipurduar | -- | Alipurduar, Falakata | Alipurduar Railway Junction, Bholar Dabri, Chechakhata, Jaygaon, Paschim Jitpur, Sobhaganj, Uttar Kamakhyaguri, Uttar Latabari | -- |
| Bankura | Bankura | -- | Bankura, Bishnupur, Sonamukhi | Barjora, Beliatore, Khatra | -- |
| Birbhum | Suri | -- | Bolpur, Dubrajpur, Nalhati, Rampurhat, Sainthia, Suri | Ahmadpur | -- |
| Cooch Behar | Cooch Behar | -- | Dinhata, Koch Bihar, Haldibari, Mathabhanga, Mekliganj, Tufanganj | Bhangri Pratham Khanda, Guriahati, Khagrabari, Kharimala Khagrabari | -- |
| Dakshin Dinajpur | Balurghat | -- | Balurghat, Gangarampur, Buniadpur | -- | -- |
| Darjeeling | Darjeeling | Siliguri | Darjiling, Kurseong, Mirik | Bairatisal, Cart Road, Pattabong Tea Garden, Uttar Bagdogra | -- |
| Hooghly | Chinsurah | Chandannagar | Arambag, Bansberia, Baidyabati, Bhadreswar, Champdani, Hugli-Chuchura, Konnagar, Rishra, Serampore, Tarakeswar, Uttarpara Kotrung | Amodghata, Badhagachhi, Bamunari, Barijhati, Begampur, Chak Bansberia, Chikrand, Dakshin Rajyadharpur, Dharmapur, Kanaipur, Kharsarai, Kodalia, Kulihanda, Madhusudanpur, Mrigala, Monoharpur, Nabagram Colony, Pairagachha, Pandua, Purba Tajpur, Raghunathpur, Rishra, Shankhanagar, Simla, Singur, Garalgachha, Krishnapur, Raghunathpur | -- |
| Howrah | Howrah | Howrah | Bally, Uluberia | Andul, Ankurhati, Argari, Bagnan, Balaram Pota, Bally (Jagachha), Bankra, Banupur, Beldubi, Bhandardaha, Bikihakola, Bipra Noapara, Chakapara, Chamrail, Dakshin Jhapardaha, Dhuilya, Domjur, Eksara, Gabberia, Hatgachha, Jagadishpur, Jala Kendua, Jhorhat, Kalara, Kantlia, Kesabpur, Khalia, Khalor, Khantora, Mahiari, Makardaha, Manikpur, Mansinhapur, Nalpur, Natibpur, Naupala, Nibra, Panchla, Panchpara, Paniara, Podara, Raghudebbati, Ramchandrapur, Sahapur, Salap, Sankrail, Santoshpur, Sarenga, Tentulkuli, Uttar Pirpur | -- |
| Jalpaiguri | Jalpaiguri | -- | Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri, Mainaguri, Mal | Banarhat Tea Garden, Gairkata | -- |
| Jhargram | Jhargram | -- | Jhargram | -- | -- |
| Kalimpong | Kalimpong | -- | Kalimpong | -- | -- |
| Kolkata | Kolkata | Kolkata | -- | -- | -- |
| Malda | Malda City | -- | English Bazar, Old Malda | Aiho, Kachu Pukur, Kendua, Gazole, Chanchal, Kaliachak, Sujapur, Manikchak, Ratua, Harish Chandrapur, Bamongola, Habibpur | -- |
| Murshidabad | Baharampur | -- | Baharampur, Beldanga, Dhulian, Jangipur, Jiaganj Azimganj, Kandi, Murshidabad | Anup Nagar, Aurangabad, Chachanda, Charka, Dafahat, Dhusaripara, Sagardighi, Farrakka Barrage Township, Fatellapur, Ghorsala, Goaljan, Gora Bazar, Harharia Chak, Jagtaj, Jot Kamal, Kankuria, Kasimbazar, Khodarampur, Paschim Punropara, Sahajadpur, Serpur, Srikantabati, Uttar Mahammadpur | -- |
| Nadia | Krishnanagar | -- | Birnagar, Chakdaha, Gayespur, Haringhata, Kalyani, Krishnanagar, Taherpur, Nabadwip, Ranaghat, Santipur, Cooper's Camp | Aistala, Bablari Dewanganj, Baruihuda, Char Brahmanagar, Char Maijdia, Darappur, Jagadanandapur, Karimpur, Kshidirpur, Madanpur, Badkulla, Nasra, Parbbatipur, Phulia, Satigachha | -- |
| North 24 Parganas | Barasat | Bidhannagar | Ashoknagar Kalyangarh, Baduria, Bangaon, Baranagar, Barasat, Barrackpore, Basirhat, Bhatpara, Dum Dum, Gobardanga, Habra, Halisahar, Garulia, Kamarhati, Kanchrapara, Khardaha, Madhyamgram, Naihati, New Barrackpur, North Barrackpur, North Dumdum, Panihati, South Dumdum, Taki, Titagarh | Bamangachhi, Bara Bamonia, Chandpur, Dhakuria, Dhanyakuria, Garshyamnagar, Guma, Ichhapur Defence Estate, Jafarpur, Jetia, Kaugachhi, Maslandapur, Muragachha, Nebadhai Duttapukur, Nokpul, Patulia, Raigachhi, Ruiya, Sadpur, Sonatikiri, Talbandha, Thakurnagar | Barrackpur Cantonment, New Town |
| Paschim Bardhaman | Asansol | Asansol, Durgapur | Jamuria, Kulti, Raniganj | Amkula, Andal, Bahula, Ballavpur, Banshra, Baska, Belebathan, Bhanowara, Bilpahari, Chak Bankola, Chapui, Chelad, Chhora, Chittaranjan, Dalurband, Debipur, Dhandadihi, Dignala, Haripur, Harishpur, Hindusthan Cables Town, Jemari, Jemari (J.K. Nagar Township), Kajora, Kanksa, Kenda, Kendra Khottamdi, Khandra, Konardihi, Kunustara, Mahira, Mandarbani, Murgathaul, Nabgram, Palashban, Pangachhiya (B), Parashkol, Parasia, Prayagpur, Raghunathchak, Ramnagar, Ratibati, Sankarpur, Sarpi, Siduli, Sirsha, Ukhra | -- |
| Paschim Medinipur | Medinipur | -- | Chandrakona, Ghatal, Kharagpur, Kharar, Kshirpai, Medinipur, Ramjibanpur | Balichak, Deuli, Durllabhganj, Kharagpur Railway Settlement | -- |
| Purba Bardhaman | Bardhaman | -- | Bardhaman, Dainhat, Guskara, Kalna, Katwa, Memari | Dhatrigram, Gopinathpur, Hatsimla, Panuhat, Patuli, Srirampur, Sukdal, Uttar Goara | -- |
| Purba Medinipur | Tamluk | -- | Contai, Egra, Haldia, Panskura, Tamluk | Bahirgram, Dakshin Baguan, Goasafat, Kakdihi, Kolaghat | -- |
| Purulia | Purulia | -- | Jhalda, Puruliya, Raghunathpur | Manbazar, Adra, Arra, Balarampur, Barabazar, Chapari, Hijuli, Nabagram, Par Beliya, Santaldih | -- |
| South 24 Parganas | Alipore | -- | Baruipur, Budge Budge, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar Majilpur, Maheshtala, Pujali, Rajpur Sonarpur | Abhirampur, Alipur, Amtala, Asuti, Baharu, Balarampur, Barkalikapur, Basanti, Benjanhari Acharial, Bhangar Raghunathpur, Bhasa, Bidyadharpur, Bilandapur, Birlapur, Bishnupur, Bora Gagangohalia, Bowali, Buita, Chak Alampur, Chak Baria, Chak Enayetnagar, Chak Kashipur, Champahati, Chanddandaha, Chata Kalikapur, Dakshin Raypur, Danga, Daulatpur, Ganye Gangadharpur, Garia, Gaur Daha, Gobindapur, Hanspukuria, Hariharpur, Kalikapur, Kalikapur Barasat, Kalua, Kanganbaria, Kanyanagar, Khodar Bazar, Komarhat, Kriparampur, Magrahat, Mallikpur, Maricha, Mathurapur, Nadabhanga, Nahazari, Naridana, Nimpith, Nischintapur, Panchghara, Patharberia, Petua, Poali, Radhanagar, Ramchandrapur, Ramchandrapur, Rameswarpur, Ramkrishnapur, Raynagar, Sahebpur, Salipur, Samali, Solgohalia, Tulshighata, Uttar Durgapur, Uttar Kalas, Uttar Raypur, Uttarparanij | -- |
| Uttar Dinajpur | Raiganj | -- | Dalkhola, Islampur, Kaliaganj, Raiganj | Kas ba, Nachhratpur Katabari | -- |