| Rajshahi Division | |
| Native Name: | রাজশাহী বিভাগ |
| Native Name Lang: | bn |
| Settlement Type: | Division |
| Other Name: | Varendra |
| Nickname: | Land of Zamindars |
| Coordinates: | 25°N 89°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Bangladesh |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1829 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Rajshahi |
| Leader Title: | Divisional Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Dewan Md Humayun Kabir[1] |
| Leader Title1: | Parliamentary constituency |
| Leader Name1: | Jatiya Sangsad (39 seats) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 18174.4 |
| Population Total: | 20,353,119 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official language |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Bengali[2] |
| Timezone1: | BST |
| Utc Offset1: | +6 |
| Iso Code: | BD-E |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2017) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.602[3] |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Notable sport teams |
| Blank Info Sec2: | Rajshahi Kings, Rajshahi Division |
Rajshahi Division (Bengali: রাজশাহী বিভাগ) is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119.[4] Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 Upazilas (the next lower administrative tier) and 1,092 Unions (the lowest administrative tier).
The region has historically been dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars.[5] Formerly comprising 16 districts, a new division (Rangpur Division) was formed with the 8 northern districts of the old Rajshahi Division from early 2010.[6]
The Rajshahi Division is named after Rajshahi District. Dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars of mixed origins throughout history,[5] the name is a compound of the words Raj and Shahi, both of which can be translated into reign or kingdom. Archaic spellings in the English language also included Rajeshae.
Rajshahi Division was created in 1829 by the British Government. It was the largest division in Bengal Province. During partition of Bengal in 1947, the division was partitioned in two halves. The eastern half remained as Rajshahi division, while its western half became Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, India. In January 2010 the Rangpur Division split out from Rajshahi division.
At the time of the 2011 census, Rajshahi division had a population of 18,484,858. Muslims are 17,248,861 which is 93.31% of the population, while Hindus are 1,081,584 which is 5.85% of the population. Other religions (almost entirely Christianity and indigenous faiths) are only 0.24% of the population and are mainly found among the ethnic minorities.[7]
The major educational institutes in Rajshahi are:
The University of Rajshahi (established 1953) is the second largest university of Bangladesh with around 50 disciplines and 6 institutes. Rajshahi Collegiate School (established in 1828) is one of the oldest school in the country and Indian sub-continent which became again the best school in Bangladesh in 2018.