Its administrative center is the city of Kropyvnytskyi (until July 2016 Kirovohrad).

[2] On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kirovohrad Oblast was reduced to four, and the area of Kropyvnytskyi Raion was significantly expanded.

[3][4] The January 2020 estimate of the raion population was 36,353 (2020 est.).

[5] The district was known as Kirovohrad Raion until November 2018, when it was renamed in accordance with the decommunisation law.

[6] After the reform in July 2020, the raion consisted of 17 hromadas:[4] Before the 2020 reform, the raion consisted of five hromadas:[16]