In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Mandla one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

[3] According to the 2011 census Mandla District has a population of 1,054,905,[6] roughly equal to the nation of Cyprus[7] or the US state of Rhode Island.

Much of the district is forested, and it is home to Kanha National Park, a Project Tiger sanctuary.

The district is also home to Mandla Plant Fossils National Park.

However, once upon a time Kanha and Satpura forest region, now famous as tiger reserves, were ruled by wild Indian elephants and lions.