Dakshin Dinajpur is predominantly an agricultural district with large area of land being under cultivation. The district is drained by a number of North-South flowing river like Atreyee, Purnabhaba, Tangon and Brahmani, to give rise to a sizeable but unorganized fishing community.
Dakshin Dinajpur is a "Non Industry" district having no large scale industry. The first industry in medium scale sector got off to a start in the district in November, 2003. Internet access is available from most of the cities, even though broadband connections are not available. As for transport, there is one State Highway with only 3 km of National Highway No. 34 falling within the district. A new railway line has been laid between Eklakhi and Balurghat, the district headquarter. Train services has been started on December 30, 2004.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Dakshin Dinajpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF)
