| Settlement Type: | District of Serbia |
| Mapsize: | 200px |
| Coordinates: | 42.55°N 75°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Serbia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Southern and Eastern Serbia |
| Seat Type: | Administrative center |
| Seat: | Vranje |
| Leader Title: | Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Srećko Pejković |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Area Total Km2: | 3,520 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 193,802 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Municipalities |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 6 and 1 city |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Settlements |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 363 |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | – Cities and towns |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | 6 |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | – Villages |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | 357 |
| Iso Code: | RS-24 |
The Pčinja District (Serbian: Пчињски округ|Pčinjski okrug, pronounced as /ptʃǐɲskiː ôkruːɡ/) is one of the nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It covers the southern part of Serbia, bordering Kosovo, along with Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Its administrative center is the city of Vranje.
As of the 2022 census, the district has a population of 193,802 inhabitants.
The Vranjska Banja spa plays a part in this region with its multi-medicinal thermal mineral waters.
The district encompasses the municipalities of:
The ancient Paeonian tribe of the Agrianians ruled the region in antiquity.
Cultural and historical monuments date back from over five centuries ago. The earliest military fortification, Marko's Fortress, was established in the 13th century. Also famous are the ancient Turkish public baths from the 16th century and the Pasha's House from 1765, in which a grammar school was opened in 1882.
In 2001, uprisings by Albanians occurred in the Albanian-majority municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac. In addition, reports emerged in 2006 that the municipality of Trgovište had threatened to secede itself to North Macedonia, which was noteworthy, since it had (and still has) a majority Serb population. Representatives cited economic hardship and a declining population as grievances against Serbia’s government.[2]
As of the 2022 census, the district has a population of 193,802 inhabitants.
| Population 1991 | Population 2002 | Population 2011 | Census 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | % | |||||
| Serbs | - | 147,046 | 132,601 | 112,011 | 57.8 | |
| Albanians | - | 54,795 | 680 | 56,834 | 29.3 | |
| Romani | - | 12,073 | 13,826 | 10,877 | 5.61 | |
| Bulgarians | - | 8,491 | 7,287 | 4,970 | 2.56 | |
| Others | - | 5,285 | 4,687 | 9,110 | 4.70 | |
| Total | 243,529 | 227,690 | 159,081 | 193,802 | 100 | |
Based on the census results from 2022, the Pčinja District has a Christian Orthodox majority (60.4%) and a substantial Muslim minority (31%).
| Religious group | Census 2002 | Census 2022[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | % | Population | % | ||
| Orthodoxy | 157,635 | 69.2 | 117,016 | 60.4 | |
| Islam | 56,334 | 24.7 | 60,032 | 31.0 | |
| Other Christians | 268 | 0.12 | 3,915 | 2.02 | |
| Others | 1,430 | 0.63 | 759 | 0.39 | |
| Did not declare | 8,352 | 3.67 | 2,594 | 1.34 | |
| Unknown | 3,495 | 1.53 | 9,486 | 4.89 | |
| Total | 227,690 | 193,802 | |||
| a. | In the municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo (parts of Pčinja District) there was undercoverage of the census units, owing to the boycott by most of the members of the Albanian ethnic community. |