The spurious growth of brick kiln encroachment on cultivable land in West Bengal has resulted in land use changes with significant negative effects on the environment, health, and food security. This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution of brick kilns and analyse the trends in brick kiln concentrations and their impacts on agricultural land loss at the district level in West Bengal. Brick kiln locations were determined using Google Earth Explorer, and the brick kiln cluster map was analysed with ArcGIS, while trend analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall and Sen’s slope methods. Out of the 6196 brick kilns in West Bengal, 5758 are currently active, with the highest numbers found in North 24 Parganas (839) and Murshidabad (770). However, the Getis-Ord hotspot map analysis revealed significantly (P < 0.05) high cluster zones in North 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Purba Medinipur and a significantly low cluster zone in Murshidabad. Except for the Hooghly district, which showed negative growth with a Kendall’s tau value of −0.57 (P < 0.002), all other districts experienced significant positive growth in brick kilns. The research revealed that the average land area occupied by brick kilns is 3.40 hectares. Furthermore, the land area utilised for brick kilns doubled from 10,562.46 hectares before 2006 to approximately 21,060.02 hectares in 2021. This study provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution and trends of brick kilns and their impact on agricultural land loss in West Bengal, which can inform policy and decision-making for sustainable land use planning and management in the region.