This regency originally included a much larger part of the inland part of the province, lying to the east of the watershed of the Barisan Mountains, but on 25 February 2003 it was divided in three, with districts in the northwest being split off to form a separate Lebong Regency, and districts in the south being similarly split off to form a new Kepahiang Regency.

[1] The administrative centre of the Rejang Lebong Regency is the town of Curup.

The Rejangese people are the most numerous ethnic group in Bengkulu Province, and inhabit the western half of the Regency, while the Lembak people inhabit the eastern half.

[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages in each district (totaling 122 rural desa and 34 urban kelurahan), and its post codes.

The Curup urban area, together with the three districts to its north (Bermani Ulu, Bermani Ulu Raya and Selupu Rejang) comprise the western part of the regency, covering 611.20 km2 with a population of 199,318 in mid 2023, mainly the Rejong people.