Barda District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the center of the country in the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Tartar, Agdam, Aghjabadi, Zardab, Agdash, and Yevlakh. Its capital and largest city is Barda. As of 2020, the district had a population of 157,500.
Barda became the center of the region ruled by the governor during the Sassanid period. During the reign of Kavadh I, Barda was surrounded by fortress walls. It was the capital of Albania in the 10th century. The center of the Albanian church was moved to Barda in 552 and was occupied by Iranian feudalists in 639. Thereafter, Barda received autonomy with the help of Javanshir, who was the ruler of Alban. It became a central part of Arran Province in 752. Barda was part of the Sassanid state until the 890s. and other historical and architectural monuments were found in Shirvanli village.
Economy
thumb|Cotton plantation in Barda District
Barda is well-developed agriculturally. The main agricultural sectors include grain and cotton growing. The economy is primarily based upon cattle-breeding, vegetable growing, and silkworm breeding.
Barda District has a developed industry. There are “Yag-Pendir” (“Butter-Cheese”) and “Garabag-Pambig” (“Grabag-Cotton”) OSJCs, cannery, etc. functioning in the district.
The district runs education, health, social, recreational and public catering facilities.
Population
The population of the district was 143.9 thousand people until January 1, 2011. According to the official information dated January 6, 2012, the population of the region is 147,700. Among the residents, there are 222 Karabakh war invalids, 438 martyrs, 884 Karabakh war veterans and 41 Great Patriotic War veterans.
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="2" |Population
|-
|Ethnic group
| census, 2009
|-
|Total
|141 646
|-
|Azerbaijanis
|141 485
|-
|Turkish people
|97
|-
|Russians
|48
|-
|Ukrainians
|5
|-
|Tatars
|5
|-
|Others
|6
|}
According to the State Statistics Committee, as of 2018, the population of city recorded 155,400 persons, which increased by 24,800 persons (about 18.9 percent) from 130,600 persons in 2000. Of the total population, 78,900 are men and 76,500 are women. More than 25.8 percent of the population (about 40,100 persons) consists of young people and teenagers aged 14–29.
{| class="wikitable"
|+The population of the district by the year (at the beginning of the year, thousand persons)