The governorate is divided into municipal divisions, with a total estimated population, as of January 2023, of 5,500,507.

The 15th-century geographer al-Qalqashandi describes the region as fertile and prosperous.

[6] According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of only 30.0%.

[7] In 2016, Switzerland committed to funding a solid waste management program in Gharbia, a project with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment that will conclude in 2021.

The National Solid Waste Management Programme (NSWMP) involves the construction of infrastructure for new, as well as the expansion and improvement of existing waste treatment, landfill, and recycling facilities.