| Sunamganj District | |
| Native Name: | সুনামগঞ্জ জেলা |
| Native Name Lang: | bn |
| Official Name: | Sunamganj District |
| Type: | District of Bangladesh |
| Map Caption1: | Expandable map of Sunamganj District |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Sunamganj in Bangladesh |
| Coordinates: | 25.0309°N 91.4038°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Bangladesh |
| Subdivision Type1: | Division |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sylhet Division |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Sunamganj |
| Leader Title: | Deputy Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Mohammad Abdul Ahad[1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3747.18 |
| Population Total: | 2695496 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Sunamganji, Shunamgonji, Shunamgoinji |
| Timezone1: | BST |
| Utc Offset1: | +06:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 3000 |
| Area Code: | 0871 |
| Iso Code: | BD-61 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2019) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.573[2] · 20th of 20 |
Sunamganj (bn| সুনামগঞ্জ), is a district located in north-eastern Bangladesh in the Sylhet Division.[3]
In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Laur Kingdom. After the conquest of Sylhet (Kingdom of Gauiurh) in 1303 by Muslims under the spiritual guidance of Shah Jalal, Shah Kamal Quhafah established a capital in Shaharpara with the aid of his twelve disciples and his second son, Shah Muazzamuddin Qureshi, who also maintained a second sub-administration office at Nizgaon on the bank of the river Surma, present day Shologhar (there is now Shologhar Masjid and madrasa) in Sunamganj town, which was administered by one of his descendants. Between the latter part of 1300 CE and 1765 CE, the present-day Sunamganj district was a part of Iqlim-e-Muazzamabad, i.e., the state of Muazzamabad, which was an independent state until 1620 when it was conquered by the mighty Mughal of Delhi. The last sultan of Muazzamabad was Hamid Qureshi Khan, who was a descendant of Shah Kamal Quhafah and he was widely known by his appellation of Shamsher Khan. After the fall of Jalalabad (present-day Sylhet), Shamsher Khan accepted the post of Nawab-cum-Fauzadar and remained so until his death at the Battle of Giria on 29 April 1740 along with Sarfaraz Khan, Nawab of Bengal.[4]
The district administrator is appointed from amongst non-civil servants, usually from amongst the member of political party that is in power at the time of appointment and endorsed by the central government. The deputy commissioner is appointed from amongst career civil servants and administers all subordinate branches of the administration such as upazillah parishad[5] Mr.Black was the first district commissioner of Sunamganj.[6]
Sunamganj District comprises 12 sub-districts or upazilas:
During the late British colonial period, Sunamganj was a subdivision and contained six thanas; Sunamganj Sadar, Tahirpur, Chhatak (inc. Duarabazar), Derai, Jagannathpur and Dharmapasa.[7]
According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Sunamganj District had 528,550 households and a population of 2,695,496 with an average 5.09 people per household. Among the population, 614,526 (22.80%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 719 people per km2. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 64.92%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and the sex ratio was 96.43 males per 100 females. Approximately, 14.92% of the population lived in urban areas.[8]
| 1941[9] | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | ||||||||
| 417,505 | 65.45% | 1,178,109 | 82.46% | 1,428,729 | 83.62% | 1,715,033 | 85.16% | 2,144,535 | 86.89% | 2,377,349 | 88.20% | ||
| 217,993 | 34.17% | 246,444 | 17.25% | 272,545 | 15.95% | 294,765 | 14.64% | 319,376 | 12.94% | 315,044 | 11.69% | ||
| Others | 2,399 | 0.38% | 4,234 | 0.29% | 7,289 | 0.43% | 3,940 | 0.20% | 4,057 | 0.17% | 3,103 | 0.11% | |
| Total Population | 637,897 | 100% | 1,428,787 | 100% | 1,708,563 | 100% | 2,013,738 | 100% | 2,467,968 | 100% | 2,695,496 | 100% | |
Muslims make up 88.20% of the population, while Hindus are 11.69% of the population. There is a minority of 2,600 Christians in the district, mainly in Madhyanagar, Tahirpur and Sunamganj Sadar upazilas. The ethnic population was 5,308, of which 2,003 were Garo and 1,506 Hudi.[8]
University
Medical College
The district has 12 government hospitals and 22 health centers. The infant mortality rate is 62 per 1000 child births. The average lifespan of the district's residents is 62 years.