West Sumatra has 12 regencies (kabupaten) and 7 cities (kota), divided into 179 districts (kecamatan).

1. List of districts (kecamatan) and their regency or city

No.	District	Regency / City
1	Pagai Selatan	Mentawai Islands Regency
2	Pagai Utara	Mentawai Islands Regency
3	Siberut Barat	Mentawai Islands Regency
4	Siberut Barat Daya	Mentawai Islands Regency
5	Siberut Selatan	Mentawai Islands Regency
6	Siberut Tengah	Mentawai Islands Regency
7	Siberut Utara	Mentawai Islands Regency
8	Sikakap	Mentawai Islands Regency
9	Sipora Selatan	Mentawai Islands Regency
10	Sipora Utara	Mentawai Islands Regency
11	Air Pura	Pesisir Selatan Regency
12	Basa Ampek Balai Tapan	Pesisir Selatan Regency
13	Batang Kapas	Pesisir Selatan Regency
14	Bayang	Pesisir Selatan Regency
15	Bayang Utara	Pesisir Selatan Regency
16	IV Jurai	Pesisir Selatan Regency
17	Koto XI Tarusan	Pesisir Selatan Regency
18	Lengayang	Pesisir Selatan Regency
19	Linggo Sari Baganti	Pesisir Selatan Regency
20	Lunang	Pesisir Selatan Regency
21	Pancung Soal	Pesisir Selatan Regency
22	Ranah Ampek Hulu Tapan	Pesisir Selatan Regency
23	Ranah Pesisir	Pesisir Selatan Regency
24	Silaut	Pesisir Selatan Regency
25	Sutera	Pesisir Selatan Regency
26	Bukit Sundi	Solok Regency
27	Danau Kembar	Solok Regency
28	Gunung Talang	Solok Regency
29	Hiliran Gumanti	Solok Regency
30	IX Koto Sungai Lasi	Solok Regency
31	Junjung Sirih	Solok Regency
32	Kubung	Solok Regency
33	Lembah Gumanti	Solok Regency
34	Lembang Jaya	Solok Regency
35	Pantai Cermin	Solok Regency
36	Payung Sekaki	Solok Regency
37	Tigo Lurah	Solok Regency
38	X Koto Diatas	Solok Regency
39	X Koto Singkarak	Solok Regency
40	IV Nagari	Sijunjung Regency
41	Kamang Baru	Sijunjung Regency
42	Koto VII	Sijunjung Regency
43	Kupitan	Sijunjung Regency
44	Lubuak Tarok	Sijunjung Regency
45	Sijunjung	Sijunjung Regency
46	Sumpur Kudus	Sijunjung Regency
47	Tanjung Gadang	Sijunjung Regency
48	Batipuh	Tanah Datar Regency
49	Batipuh Selatan	Tanah Datar Regency
50	Lima Kaum	Tanah Datar Regency
51	Lintau Buo	Tanah Datar Regency
52	Lintau Buo Utara	Tanah Datar Regency
53	Padang Ganting	Tanah Datar Regency
54	Pariangan	Tanah Datar Regency
55	Rambatan	Tanah Datar Regency
56	Salimpaung	Tanah Datar Regency
57	Sepuluh Koto	Tanah Datar Regency
58	Sungai Tarab	Tanah Datar Regency
59	Sungayang	Tanah Datar Regency
60	Tanjung Baru	Tanah Datar Regency
61	Tanjung Emas	Tanah Datar Regency
62	2 x 11 Enam Lingkung	Padang Pariaman Regency
63	2 x 11 Kayu Tanam	Padang Pariaman Regency
64	Batang Anai	Padang Pariaman Regency
65	Batang Gasan	Padang Pariaman Regency
66	IV Koto Aur Malintang	Padang Pariaman Regency
67	Lubuk Alung	Padang Pariaman Regency
68	Nan Sabaris	Padang Pariaman Regency
69	Padang Sago	Padang Pariaman Regency
70	Patamuan	Padang Pariaman Regency
71	Sintuk Toboh Gadang	Padang Pariaman Regency
72	Sungai Geringging	Padang Pariaman Regency
73	Sungai Limau	Padang Pariaman Regency
74	Ulakan Tapakis	Padang Pariaman Regency
75	V Koto Kampung Dalam	Padang Pariaman Regency
76	V Koto Timur	Padang Pariaman Regency
77	VI Lingkung	Padang Pariaman Regency
78	VII Koto Sungai Sarik	Padang Pariaman Regency
79	Ampek Angkek	Agam Regency
80	Ampek Nagari	Agam Regency
81	Banuhampu	Agam Regency
82	Baso	Agam Regency
83	Canduang	Agam Regency
84	IV Koto	Agam Regency
85	Kamang Magek	Agam Regency
86	Lubuk Basung	Agam Regency
87	Malalak	Agam Regency
88	Matur	Agam Regency
89	Palembayan	Agam Regency
90	Palupuh	Agam Regency
91	Sungai Pua	Agam Regency
92	Tanjung Mutiara	Agam Regency
93	Tanjung Raya	Agam Regency
94	Tilatang Kamang	Agam Regency
95	Akabiluru	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
96	Bukit Barisan	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
97	Guguak	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
98	Gunuang Omeh	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
99	Harau	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
100	Kapur IX	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
101	Lareh Sago Halaban	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
102	Luak	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
103	Mungka	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
104	Pangkalan Koto Baru	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
105	Payakumbuh	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
106	Situjuah Limo Nagari	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
107	Suliki	Lima Puluh Kota Regency
108	Bonjol	Pasaman Regency
109	Dua Koto	Pasaman Regency
110	Lubuk Sikaping	Pasaman Regency
111	Mapat Tunggul	Pasaman Regency
112	Mapat Tunggul Selatan	Pasaman Regency
113	Padang Gelugur	Pasaman Regency
114	Panti	Pasaman Regency
115	Rao	Pasaman Regency
116	Rao Selatan	Pasaman Regency
117	Rao Utara	Pasaman Regency
118	Simpang Alahan Mati	Pasaman Regency
119	Tigo Nagari	Pasaman Regency
120	Koto Parik Gadang Diateh	South Solok Regency
121	Pauh Duo	South Solok Regency
122	Sangir	South Solok Regency
123	Sangir Balai Janggo	South Solok Regency
124	Sangir Batang Hari	South Solok Regency
125	Sangir Jujuan	South Solok Regency
126	Sungai Pagu	South Solok Regency
127	Asam Jujuhan	Dharmasraya Regency
128	Koto Baru	Dharmasraya Regency
129	Koto Besar	Dharmasraya Regency
130	Koto Salak	Dharmasraya Regency
131	Padang Laweh	Dharmasraya Regency
132	Pulau Punjung	Dharmasraya Regency
133	Sembilan Koto	Dharmasraya Regency
134	Sitiung	Dharmasraya Regency
135	Sungai Rumbai	Dharmasraya Regency
136	Timpeh	Dharmasraya Regency
137	Tiumang	Dharmasraya Regency
138	Gunung Tuleh	West Pasaman Regency
139	Kinali	West Pasaman Regency
140	Koto Balingka	West Pasaman Regency
141	Lembah Melintang	West Pasaman Regency
142	Luhak Nan Duo	West Pasaman Regency
143	Pasaman	West Pasaman Regency
144	Ranah Batahan	West Pasaman Regency
145	Sasak Ranah Pasisie	West Pasaman Regency
146	Sungai Aur	West Pasaman Regency
147	Sungai Beremas	West Pasaman Regency
148	Talamau	West Pasaman Regency
149	Bungus Teluk Kabung	Padang City
150	Koto Tangah	Padang City
151	Kuranji	Padang City
152	Lubuk Begalung	Padang City
153	Lubuk Kilangan	Padang City
154	Nanggalo	Padang City
155	Padang Barat	Padang City
156	Padang Selatan	Padang City
157	Padang Timur	Padang City
158	Padang Utara	Padang City
159	Pauh	Padang City
160	Lubuk Sikarah	Solok City
161	Tanjung Harapan	Solok City
162	Barangin	Sawahlunto City
163	Lembah Segar	Sawahlunto City
164	Silungkang	Sawahlunto City
165	Talawi	Sawahlunto City
166	Padang Panjang Barat	Padang Panjang City
167	Padang Panjang Timur	Padang Panjang City
168	Aur Birugo Tigo Baleh	Bukittinggi City
169	Guguk Panjang	Bukittinggi City
170	Mandiangin Koto Selayan	Bukittinggi City
171	Lamposi Tigo Nagari	Payakumbuh City
172	Payakumbuh Barat	Payakumbuh City
173	Payakumbuh Selatan	Payakumbuh City
174	Payakumbuh Timur	Payakumbuh City
175	Payakumbuh Utara	Payakumbuh City
176	Pariaman Selatan	Pariaman City
177	Pariaman Tengah	Pariaman City
178	Pariaman Timur	Pariaman City
179	Pariaman Utara	Pariaman City

2. Key details

Province at a glance

• Capital and largest city: Padang.
• Area: about 42,108 km².
• Population: 5,534,472 at the 2020 census; official mid-2025 estimate of 5,914,300.
• Administrative units: 12 regencies, 7 cities, 179 districts, and 1,265 villages (nagari, kelurahan and desa) as of 2025.
• Human Development Index (2024): 0.764 for the province.
• Main ethnic groups: Minangkabau (87% in 2010), with Batak, Javanese and Mentawai minorities.

Regencies and cities

Regency / City	Seat	Area (km²)	Pop. 2020 census	Pop. mid-2025 est.	Districts	HDI 2024
Mentawai Islands	Tua Pejat	5,973.92	87,623	94,050	10	0.666
Pesisir Selatan	Painan	6,045.68	504,418	540,380	15	0.728
Solok	Aro Suka	3,590.40	391,497	415,440	14	0.722
Sijunjung	Muaro Sijunjung	3,150.58	235,045	249,790	8	0.728
Tanah Datar	Batusangkar	1,377.19	371,704	392,740	14	0.764
Padang Pariaman	Parit Malintang	1,341.88	430,626	467,040	17	0.749
Agam	Lubuk Basung	2,225.34	529,138	566,760	16	0.750
Lima Puluh Kota	Sarilamak	3,273.41	383,525	405,710	13	0.725
Pasaman	Lubuk Sikaping	3,902.44	299,851	322,930	12	0.706
South Solok	Padang Aro	3,282.14	182,077	198,510	7	0.731
Dharmasraya	Pulau Punjung	2,920.93	228,591	248,110	11	0.748
West Pasaman	Simpang Empat	3,851.88	431,672	462,790	11	0.727
Padang (city)	n/a	694.32	909,040	965,050	11	0.843
Solok (city)	n/a	58.72	73,438	81,060	2	0.800
Sawahlunto (city)	n/a	231.95	65,138	69,700	4	0.766
Padang Panjang (city)	n/a	23.56	56,311	60,260	2	0.806
Bukittinggi (city)	n/a	24.17	121,028	125,920	3	0.826
Payakumbuh (city)	n/a	74.55	139,576	148,600	5	0.807
Pariaman (city)	n/a	64.63	94,224	99,440	4	0.804
Total			5,534,472		179

Facts about the districts

• With most districts: Padang Pariaman (17), then Agam (16) and Pesisir Selatan (15).
• Fewest districts among regencies: South Solok (7) and Sijunjung (8).
• Cities: Padang has 11 districts; Padang Panjang has only 2.
• Bonjol (Pasaman): the equator runs through this district, according to the provincial government’s 2023 performance report.
• Sungayang (Tanah Datar): contains Nagari Minangkabau, a settlement that shares its name with the Minangkabau people.
• Sumpur Kudus (Sijunjung) and Lima Kaum (Tanah Datar): their names reflect Arabic influence, from quduus (holy) and qaum (people), dating to the spread of Islam in the Pagaruyung kingdom.
• Siberut districts (Mentawai): the island is home to Siberut National Park.
• Sawahlunto’s four districts: the city holds the UNESCO-listed Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage (inscribed 2019).
• Padang Pariaman: the Minangkabau International Airport (opened 2005) lies in this regency, 23 km north-west of Padang.
• Well-known places (background knowledge): Jam Gadang clock tower in Guguk Panjang (Bukittinggi), Lake Maninjau in Tanjung Raya (Agam), Pagaruyung Palace in Tanjung Emas (Tanah Datar), and the Harau Valley in Harau (Lima Puluh Kota).

3. How West Sumatra is divided

A province with a layered map

Indonesia is governed through nested tiers, and West Sumatra follows the standard pattern. The province (provinsi) is divided into regencies (kabupaten) and cities (kota). Each of those is divided into districts (kecamatan). Below the district sits the smallest unit, and this is where West Sumatra stops looking like the rest of the country.

The nagari: a local twist

For most of Indonesia the lowest tier is the desa or kelurahan. In West Sumatra’s regencies it is the nagari, a traditional Minangkabau community that is larger than a typical village elsewhere and is headed by a wali nagari. Nagari existed before independence, but a 1979 national law replaced them with Javanese-style villages. When regional autonomy arrived in 2001, the province brought nagari back. In the cities, nagari still exist but only have customary roles. In the Mentawai Islands, where Minangkabau custom is not the local tradition, the units below the district are desa and kelurahan rather than nagari.

Reading the names

Many district names carry history. Roman numerals such as IV Koto, VII Koto, X Koto and IX Koto typically point to the number of historic settlements (koto) that originally joined together, and “2 x 11 Enam Lingkung” is a similar traditional formula. Names beginning with Luhak or Lareh recall the old Minangkabau confederations. The heartland of the culture was organised as the Luhak Nan Tigo, three highland areas: Tanah Datar, Agam and Lima Puluh Kota. These are also three of the regencies with the densest district maps, since they are the oldest settled core of the province.

Highlands, coast and frontier

The district map also reflects geography and history:

• The highland core (Tanah Datar, Agam, Lima Puluh Kota, Solok) lies along the Barisan mountains and the lakes of Maninjau, Singkarak and Diatas. Its small cities, Bukittinggi, Payakumbuh, Padang Panjang and Solok, are packed into very little land. Bukittinggi covers just 24 km² yet has three districts.
• The coast (Padang, Pariaman, Padang Pariaman, Pesisir Selatan) faces the Indian Ocean and is shaped by trade, port activity and the tsunami and earthquake risk the province lives with.
• The frontier regencies (Dharmasraya, South Solok, Sijunjung, Pasaman, West Pasaman) were historically on the edge of the Minangkabau world. Dharmasraya was once the seat of the Malayu kingdom, and today these are younger or fast-growing areas.
• The islands (Mentawai) form a separate cultural world with its own language and customs, and the highest share of Christians in the province.