It was created on 18 December 2003 from what was previously part of Sintang Regency.

[1] The principal town lies at Nanga Pinoh.

When Melawi Regency was established, it originally composed into 7 districts.

Melawi Regency consists of eleven districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[2] and the 2020 Census,[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.

[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (all classed as rural desa) in each district, and its post code.