List of districts of Ladakh

1846-1946: Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir Prior to 1947, Ladakh was part of Kashmir when Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state under the paramountcy of the British Indian Empire. The central part of the princely state was administratively divided into the provinces Jammu and Kashmir. In addition there were frontier districts and semi-autonomous jagirs (principalities). They were subdivided as follows: • Jammu and Kashmir core • Jammu province: Districts of Jammu, Udhampur and Mirpur (later became part of Azad Kashmir) In 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed by both houses of the Indian Parliament. The provisions contained in the bill reorganised the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and Ladakh with effect from 31 October 2019. 2026: 5 new districts in Ladakh Union Territory On 27th April 2026, 5 new districts were notified in the government gazette for boosting the service delivery and infrastructure, taking the number of districts in Ladakh to 7. Buddhist-majority districts of Nubra, Sham, and Changthang were carved out of the existing Buddhist-majority Leh district; while Buddhist-majority Zanskar and Muslim-majority Drass were carved out of the existing Muslim-majority Kargil district. This reorganisation saw Leh district with 44 revenue villages, Nubra with 30, Changthang with 24, Kargil with 80, Sham with 27, Drass with 19, and Zanskar with 26 revenue villages. 6 new tehsils, 9 niabats (sub-tehsils), and 18 Patwar circles were also created. More than 97% of the population in these new districts are various Scheduled Tribes, including the Balti Shia, Boto, Brokpa, and Changpa communities. Since announcement in 2024, the Ladakh administration has been constructing the physical infrastructure (buildings, etc) on the land identified in Khaltsi (Sham), Diskit (Nubra), Nyoma (Changthang), Padum (Zanskar), and Drass for the District Collectorate complexes. 359 gazetted jobs via UPSC and nearly 4,000 non-gazetted jobs via the Ladakh Subordinate Services Staff Selection Board were recruited in 2026 for these new offices. ==List of existing districts==

List of existing notified districts, with extrapolated population and area under the actual control of India (see unofficial map). ==Demands for new districts==

Listed clockwise from northwest part of India-administered Ladakh, brings the administration to the remote areas and fortifies the forward locations as logistics and administrative hubs supporting Indian Military's Cold Start doctrine. • From Nubra district: • "Balti district" (HQ: Turtuk/Sasoma) from wester part of Nubra district: Recommendations of the Member of Parliament of Ladakh to upgrade the tehsil of Turtuk to district comprising Turtuk and Siachen glacier. • From Changthang district: • "Aksai Chin district" (HQ: Murgo) from eastern part of Nubra district: includes Daulat Beg Oldie, Depsang Plains, Galwan, area east of Sasser Pass around Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road (DSDBO Road) along upstream of Shyok River in the India-held part of Aksai Chin. Murgo is an excellent choice because it is sheltered in a valley where DSDBO Road and Sasoma–Saser La Road merge. }} • "Pangong district" (HQ: Durbuk/Tangtse) from northenrmost part of Chagthang district: includes Pangong Tso and Chang Chenmo River valley. Durbuk/Tangtse are good geostrategic choice for being fortified as key logistic and administrative hub serving the sensitive DSDBO, Gogra, Pangong sectors. , 1992. • "Spanggur Kailash district" (HQ: Chushul) from northeastern part of Chagthang district: includes Chushul River Valley and parts of Kailash Range. Chushul is a good geostrategic choice for service vital Spanggur Gap. • "West Rupshu district" (HQ: Pang) from eastern part of Chagthang district: includes western part of Rupshu area along Leh–Manali Highway as well as the Salt Valley and Meroo. Pang is a good geostrategic choice for being equidistant on Sarchu-Meroo stretch. • "Demchok district" (HQ: Koyul) from southeastern part of Chagthang district: includes Demchok sector area along Indus River. Koyul, sheltered in a valley, is a good geostrategic choice. • "South Changthang district" (HQ: Chumur) from southwestern part of Chagthang district. • From Zanskar district: • "Kumbum district" (HQ: Lingshet) from northern part of Zanskar district named after Kumbum ("100,000 images" stupa): area along Lingshed Chu including Sengge-La and Murgum La, Lingshet is a good choice as the HQ ad this area is administrative black hole due to the lack of connectivity and services along this geologically safest route to Leh. • From Kargil district: • "Suru district" (with HQ at Panikhar) covering Suru Valley in southern part of Kargil district: In February 2020, organised by various youth, religious and several political parties, nearly 3,000 people protested for the creation of a new Muslim-majority district of Sankoo out of Kargil because it remains cut-off from Kargil and the rest of India during snowfall of winters. It had 40,000 or more than 25% population of Kargil district in 2011. ==See also==