Shivpuri district, a part of Gwalior division is a district of Madhya state with its administrative headquarters located at Shivpuri town. The district got its name from the name of Lord Shiva. In the ancient times it was popularly known as "Sipri". In 1564 the name of the Shivpuri district was mentioned for the first time during the Mughals period when Emperor Akbar halted at this place. Earlier, Narwar district was a part of princely state of Gwalior and a major portion of today’s Shivpuri district formed the Narwar district. When India got its independence in 1947, at that time all the princely states were surrendered to the Government of India. At the same time Shivpuri district also got its current territorial boundaries with the addition of the small princely state of Khaniadhana in the southeast, portions of Datia state in the northeast and most of Pauri estate in the northwest. Then the Shivpuri district came under the new Madhya Bharat state but in 1956 it was merged into Madhya Pradesh.

Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, an eminent officer in the Indian National Army (INA) who played a vital role in the Indian independence negotiations was born on 18th March, 1914 at Algon in the district.

Geographically, the district lies at 25°43'N latitude, 77°65'E longitude and 462 m Altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 25.30% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 10,066 sq Km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 3rd in the state and 68th in India. It is bounded by Sheopur district, Gwalior district and Datia district on the on the north, Ashoknagar district and Guna district on the south, Uttar Pradesh on the east and Rajasthan on the west. The climate of the district remains extremely hot during the summer and fairly cold during the winter. The actual rainfall in the district was 1498.0 mm in the year of 2021-22.

Administration wise, the district is divided into 8 tehsils namely Shivapuri, Pohari, Kolaras, Badarwas, Karera, Narwar, Pichhore and Khaniyadhana. There are 2 Lok Sabha and 5 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 7 towns and 1,417 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 17,26,050 including 9,19,795 are males and 8,06,255 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 877 females for every 1000 males. During the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 19.70% out of which 18.50% were males and 21.10% were females. The population density in the district is 171 persons per sq. Km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 37,013 out of which 19,503 were males and 17,510 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 11,112 out of which 7,524 were males and 3,588 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 95.52% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 98.96%.

The economy of the district is basically dependent on agriculture. Most of the population in the district are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. The chief agricultural products in the district are rice, jowar, bajra, maize, wheat, barley, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the famers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. The district is scantily industrialised but now-a-days it is a growing industrial region. Handicraft and leather industry are its principal small scale industries which provides employment opportunities for the natives of the district. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj declared Shivpuri as one of the country's 250 most backward districts and currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). In the year 2019-20 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 19,00,588 lakhs at current price and Rs. 10,68,285 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 17,73,548 lakh at current price and Rs. 9,71,220 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 90,021 at current price and Rs. 49,297 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Some of its recognised educational institutions are Govt Degree College, Govt Chhatrasal Degree College, Govt Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia PG College, Govt Shrimant Maharaja Madhav Rao Scindia College, Govt Laxmi Saraswati Gopal Krishna Degree College, Govt Girls College, etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 62.55% including 74.56% are males and 48.79% are females.

The district has numerous centres of attraction which allures many travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. George Castle, a beautiful palace was built by the Maharaja of Gwalior named George Jivajirao Scindia. One can get a marvellous panoramic view of Sankhya Sagar and the nearby forest since the castle is located at the centre of the park. The Madhav Vilas Palace, the summer palace of the Scindias has marble floors, iron columns, graceful terraces and the Ganpati mandap (The Temple of Lord Ganesha). Chhatris (Cenotaphs), dedicated to Scindias was built by Scindia princes. It is a mixture of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar, created on Manier River in 1918 have a great variety of reptiles. Some other places of interest in the district are Narwar, Surwaya, Madhav National Park, etc.