At the time of the 2006 National Census, the rural district's population (as a part of the Central District) was 15,077 in 3,575 households.[7] There were 17,689 inhabitants in 4,983 households at the following census of 2011.[8] The 2016 census measured the population of the rural district as 17,756 in 5,426 households. The most populous of its 22 villages was Baktash (now a city),[6] with 3,523 people.[2]
In 2020, the rural district was separated from the district in the establishment of Baktash District.[4]
^"INCSGN Search". Iranian National Committee for Standardization of Geographical Names (in Persian). Tehran: National Cartographic Center of Iran. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019.
^Habibi, Hassan (22 December 2014) [Approved 29 August 1370]. Making reforms in the villages of West Azerbaijan province. rc.majlis.ir (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 9218.1.4.42; Notification 71023/T140K. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2023 – via Islamic Parliament Research Center.
^ abFazli, Rahmani (2 February 2021). The Minister of the Interior agreed to convert Baktash village into a city (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior – via www.moi.ir/news/148279/وزیر-کشور-با-تبدیل-روستای-بکتاش-به-شهر-موافقت-کرد. Dr. Rahmani Fazli, in a notification to the Governor of West Azerbaijan, agreed to convert Baktash village, the center of Baktash District of Miandoab County, into a city.