West Nimar district, presently known as Khargone district is a part of Indore division and a district of Madhya Pradesh state with its administrative headquarters located at Khargone town. The history of the district is very interesting. At the very beginning i.e. in ancient period, the place was under the rule of Haihayas of Mahishmati today’s Maheshwar. Then the Paramaras of Malwa and the Ahirs of Asirgarh came to the region and started to rule it in the early medieval age. But in the late medieval age, the Malwa Sultanate of Mandu overpowered the area. In 1531, Bahadur Shah, a Gujarat sultan captured the place. After sometime in 1562, the Mughal Emperor Akbar came to the area in order to establish his rule in it along with the whole Malwa region. Later in 1740 Marathas under the Peshwa came to the place and Peshwa in the year 1778, distributed the whole territory to the Maratha rulers, Holkars of Indore, Sindhias of Gwalior and Ponwars of Dhar. When India got its independence in 1947, after that all the Princely states merged with the Union of India in 1948. At that time the territory was popularly known as West Nimar district of Madhya Bharat. The district was emerged as a part of the newly formed Madhya Pradesh state on 1^st November, 1956. Again, on 25^th May, 1998 the West Nimar district was divided into two parts namely Khargone district and Barwani district.

Geographically, the district lies at 21°82'N latitude, 75°61'E longitude and 258 m Altitude. In the year 2023, there was a total 16.25% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 8,025 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 10^th in the state and 108^th in India. It is bounded by Dhar district, Indore district and Dewas district on the North, Maharashtra state on the South, Khandwa district and Burhanpur district on the East and Barwani district on the West. The climate of the district is characterised as tropical wet and dry climate and also humid sub-tropical climate. Most of its rainfall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 1013.5 mm in the year of 2024-2025.

Administration wise, the district is divided into 9 tehsils namely Barwaha, Khargone, Kasrawad, Maheshwar, Jhiranya, Bhagwanpura, Bhikangaon, Gogaon and Segaon. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 6 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 11 towns and 1,417 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 18,73,046 including 9,53,121 are males and 9,19,925 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 965 females for every 1000 males. Furthermore, the district has an estimated projected population of 22,84,161 comprising 11,63,962 males and 11,20,199 females for the year 2026. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21), the district has an estimated sex ratio of 936 females and a child sex ratio of 1,080 females per 1,000 males. During the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 22.46% out of which 21.48% were males and 23.49% were females. The population density in the district is 233 persons per sq. km. In the year 2023 the number of live births in the district was 64,291 out of which 32,926 were males and 31,365 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 11,916 out of which 7,478 were males and 4,438 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 92.12% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal languages in the district are Hindi and Bhili/Bhilodi with 71.60% and 24.31%.

The economy of the district is solely dependent on agriculture. Most of the lands in the district are use for agricultural purposes. The chief agricultural products in the district are jowar, makka, soybean, wheat, cotton, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the famers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. The district is scantily industrialised but it has some small scale industries of ginning mills, cotton yarn fibre, sugar mills, handloom industry, etc. Every year a huge chunk of revenue comes from these industries helps in its economy to a great extent. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj declared Khargone as one of the country's 250 most backward districts and currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). In the year 2022-2023 the Gross Domestic Product in the district was Rs. 28,63,135 lakh at current price and Rs. 13,65,169 lakh at constant 2011-2012 prices. The Net Domestic Product in the district during the period 2022-2023 was Rs. 26,37,096 lakh at current price and Rs. 12,08,613 lakh at constant 2011-2012 prices. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost in the district during the period 2022-2023 was Rs. 1,18,693 at current price and Rs. 54,398 at constant 2011-2012 prices.

The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Some of its recognised government educational institutions are Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Govt, Govt College (Bhikangaon), Govt PG College, Govt Degree College (Mandaleshwar), Degree College (Barwaha), Govt Girls College, Govt Degree College (Sanawad), etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 62.7% including 72.08% are males and 53.03% are females. In addition, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the period July 2023-June 2024 estimated literacy rate in the district is 70.84% including 76.21% are males and 65.37% are females (Age 7 Years and Above).

Arun Subhashchandra Yadav, an eminent Indian politician and a member of 14^th and 15^th Lok Sabha was born on 15^th January, 1974 at Borawan in the Khargone district. Moreover, on 13^th January, 2014, he was appointed as President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).

The district has several centres of attraction which allures numerous travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. The district has many ancient temples which reflect its religious history. Some temples in the district are very famous among its visitors such as Sahastararjun Temple, Raj-Rajeshwar Mandir, Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Chaturbhuj Narayan Mandir, Ahilya Mata's Chhatris, Rajwada, Chintamani Ganpati Mandir, Bada Ganpati temple, Pandharinath Mandir, Bhawani Mata Mandir, Gobar Ganesh Mandir, Banke Bihari, Anant Narayan Mandir, Khedapati Hanuman, Ram and Krishna Mandir, etc. Pilgrims from far off places come to these temples to offer their prayers.