When created in 2008, the regency was divided into five
districts (
kecamatan), listed below with their populations at the 2010 Census: On 26 January 2011, the regency was re-divided into nine districts. The additional four districts are
Tebing Tinggi Timur (East Tebing Tinggi Island, leaving the residual area of Tebing Tinggi District to cover the town of
Selat Panjang and its surroundings),
Rangsang Pesisir (Coastal Rangsang, actually the central part of that island),
Pulau Merbau (Merbau Island, leaving the residual area of Merbau District to cover the southern part of Padang Island) and
Tasik Putri Puyu (covering the northern part of Padang Island). The areas and the populations of the nine districts at the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025, are as follows. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of
administrative villages in each district (totaling 96 rural
desa and 5 urban
kelurahan), and its postcode. Notes: (a) comprising 4
kelurahan (Selat Panjang Barat, Selat Panjang Kota, Selat Panjang Selatan and Selat Panjang Timur) - with 42,723 inhabitants altogether in 2023 - and 5
desa. (b) including one
kelurahan - Teluk Belitung - with 5,062 inhabitants in 2023. The island of Tebing Tinggi comprises three districts - Tebing Tinggi itself in the centre of its north coast, Tebing Tinggi Barat in the west of the island and Tebing Tinggi Timur in the east. The island of Rangsang is also composed of three districts - Rangsang Barat in the west, Rangsang Pesisir in the centre (in spite of its name!) and Rangsang in the east (including smaller islands off its southeast end). Padang Island is composed of two districts - Tasik Putri Puyu in the north and Merbau in the south (note Merbau District is now entirely on Padang Island and does not contain any part of Merbau Island). Merbau Island (
Pulau Merbau) is identical with the district of that name. ==References==