 According to the 1897 Russian Empire Census, the population of the uyezd was 100,771, of which 64,151 were Tatars (63.66%), 34,672 were Armenians (34.41%), 1,014 East Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians; 1%), and 639 Kurds (0.6%).The Tatars made up the majority of the uyezd's population, including the major cities of Nakhichevan (70.1%) and Ordubad (88.7%).The population of the uyezd was engaged in cattle breeding and gardening, especially in the Ordubad area.