Agago, the location of the district headquarters, lies approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) southeast of Kitgum, the nearest large town.

[1] This location lies approximately 370 kilometres (230 mi), by road, north of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and the largest city in that country.

It was established by Act of Parliament and began functioning on 1 July 2010.

Prior to that date, it was part of Pader District.

In 2002, the population of Agago District was recorded at approximately 184,000.