In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 331,206 people in the district, from 300,517 in 2012.

The district is home to Kapunga rice project and Mbarali estate.

The district hosts a very famous wetland called Ihefu, as well as the Usangu plain.

The road links the towns of Igawa, Chimala and Igurusi with the cities of Dar es Salaam and Mbeya as well as the neighbouring countries like Malawi and Zambia.

A railway line called TAZARA which connects the two countries Tanzania and Zambia, runs in the district.