| Askeran District | |
| Type: | District |
| Subdivision Type: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name: | Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast |
| Subdivision Type2: | Country |
| Population As Of: | 1979 |
| Population Total: | 20,094 |
| Established Title: | Abolished |
| Established Date: | 26 November 1991 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Askeran |
Askeran District (Azerbaijani: Əsgəran rayonu, Әсҝәран рајону; Armenian: Ասկերանի շրջան|Askerani shrjan) was an administrative unit within the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.
The capital of the district was the town of Askeran. Until 1978 the district was called the Stepanakert District and its capital was Stepanakert.[1] [2]
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was abolished on 26 November 1991.[3] The district was renamed Khojaly District.
Following the First Nagorno-Karabakh war, all of the district came under the control of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and was incorporated into its Askeran Province. However, following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Azerbaijan recaptured parts of the district and after September 2023 offensive they gained the full control of the region.
| 1926 census | 1939 census | 1959 census | 1970 census | 1979 census | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | ||
| Armenians | 26,702 | 99.68 | 26,881 | 91.68 | 17,693 | 85.50 | 15,642 | 79.93 | 14,772 | 73.51 | |
| Azerbaijanis | 22 | 0.08 | 2,014 | 6.87 | 2,884 | 13.94 | 3,785 | 19.34 | 5,231 | 26.03 | |
| Russians | 9 | 0.03 | 305 | 1.04 | 75 | 0.36 | 6 | 0.03 | 53 | 0.26 | |
| Others | 55 | 0.21 | 121 | 0.41 | 42 | 0.20 | 137 | 0.70 | 38 | 0.19 | |
| TOTAL | 26,788 | 100.00 | 29,321 | 100.00 | 20,694 | 100.00 | 19,570 | 100.00 | 20,094 | 100.00 | |