Patuakhali (Bengali: পটুয়াখালী, romanized: Potuakhali) is a district in south-central Bangladesh in the Barisal Division. This district is the main entrance for the beach of Kuakata.

It is adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. The area of the district is 3,221.31 km.

Patuakhali city is surrounded on three sides by rivers. The two major rivers are Laukathi and Lohalia, which are directly connected with the Bay of Bengal. The city has an inland airport used for transport and private travel across the country.

There are 8 upazilas in this district. They are:

1. Dumki Upazila
2. Patuakhali Sadar Upazila
3. Mirzaganj Upazila
4. Bauphal Upazila
5. Galachipa Upazila
6. Dashmina Upazila
7. Rangabali Upazila
8. Kalapara Upazila

• Administrator of Zila Porishod: Khalilur Rahman Mohon
• Deputy Commissioner (DC): MD. Matiul Islam Chawdhury
• Superintendent of Police (SP): Md.Shahidullah PPM

Agriculture is the profession of most of the people. Fishing is also a prominent profession of this district. Thousands of boats go into the deep sea to fish and come back with tons of fish. Paddy, jute, and different types of vegetables are the main product of agriculture sector. Main sources of income Agriculture 57.05%, non-agricultural labourer 5.37%, industry 1.03%, commerce 13.79%, transport and communication 2.04%, service 9.22%, construction 2.13%, religious service 0.26%, rent and remittance 0.40% and others 8.71%.

Main Crops of Patuakhali district areas as follows:

The fruit trees indigenous to Patuakhali district areas as follows:

In 2011, the literacy rate of Patuakhali was 54.1%; male 56.2% and female 52.0%. Educational institutions: university 1, agricultural and veterinary college 1, college 65, technical and vocational institutes 6, secondary school 288, primary school 1152, kindergarten 36, madrasa 506.

Universities

• Patuakhali Science and Technology University

Medical College

• Patuakhali Medical College

Colleges

• Idris Molla Mahavidyalaya
• Patuakhali Govt College
• Patuakhali Government Women's College
• Bauphal Govt College
• Dr. Eakub Sharif Degree College
• Kalapara Govt College
• Janata College
• Rangabali Government College

Schools

• Kalaia Secondary School
• Abdul High Bidda Nakeiton
• Patuakhali Government Jubilee High School
• Patuakhali Collectorate School and College
• Auliapur Adarsho Secondary School
• Patuakhali Government Girl's High School
• Kanakdia Sir Salimullah High School & college
• Madhya Madanpura Secondary School

Polytechnic Institute

• Patuakhali Polytechnic Institute
• Begum Fazilatunnesa Polytechnic Institute
• Kanakdia Sir Salimullah High School
• Ayla Secondary School

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1974	937,006	—
1981	1,165,076	+3.16%
1991	1,273,872	+0.90%
2001	1,460,781	+1.38%
2011	1,535,854	+0.50%
2022	1,727,254	+1.07%
Sources:

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Patuakhali District had 424,743 households and a population of 1,727,254 with an average 4.01 people per household. Among the population, 327,724 (18.97%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 719 people per km. Patuakhali District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 76.70%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1048 females per 1000 males. Approximately, 18.62% of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 1,114.

Religion in present-day Patuakhali district

Religion	1941		1981		1991		2001		2011		2022
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	446,108	82.93%	1,053,255	90.40%	1,164,985	91.45%	1,350,968	92.48%	1,428,601	93.02%	1,617,155	93.63%
Hinduism	82,991	15.43%	109,242	9.38%	106,819	8.39%	107,893	7.38%	105,496	6.87%	107,553	6.23%
Others	8,806	1.64%	2,579	0.22%	2,068	0.16%	1,920	0.14%	1,757	0.11%	2,546	0.14%
Total Population	537,905	100%	1,165,076	100%	1,273,872	100%	1,460,781	100%	1,535,854	100%	1,727,254	100%

The district is overwhelmingly Muslim with a small minority of Hindus. There is also a dwindling community of Rakhine Buddhists settled in Kalapara Upazila. Similar to other districts in the Barisal division, the minority Hindu, Buddhist and Christian populations have seen a decline in absolute numbers in the 2001-2011 period. The district has 4765 mosques, 422 temples, and 13 churches.

The city of Patuakhali is situated beside two local rivers: Laukathi River and Lohalia River. During high tides some of the regions of Patuakhali get flooded. The Bay of Bengal is not far from the region.

At the entrance of the city there is a bridge that connects Barisal (the divisional city) with Patuakhali and Kuakata Beach.

As Patuakhali is a coastal area, it is affected almost every year by natural disasters like cyclones, floods and tornadoes. To help the disaster-affected people, many NGO's are active in the area. They play a vital role in developing the life style of poor people.

Bura Ghuranga river view from the bank of Bura Ghuranga river in beside the Gazi Bhari, East Auliapur, Ronghopaldi, Arojbegi, Dhasmina.

Port of Payra is planned to become the third sea port of Bangladesh (after Chittagong and Mongla).

• A. K. M. Fazlul Haque, colorectal surgeon
• Abdul Hady Talukdar, academic
• Sohag Gazi, cricketer of the Bangladesh national cricket team
• KM Nurul Huda, Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh
• Faiz Ahmed, Senior Secretary, Member of Public Service Commission
• Nurul Haq Nur, joint-convenor of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakshan Parishad and vice-president, Dhaka University Central Students' Union

• Districts of Bangladesh

• Official website