 However, following the closure of the copper-molybdenum combine in 1975, the population drastically declined.Following the independence of Armenia, Dastakert retained its status as an urban settlement until the administrative reforms of November 2017, when it was turned into a rural settlement as part of the Sisian community.According to the 2011 census the population of Dastakert was 323, up from 287 reported during the 2001 census.