[1] The main municipal, administrative and commercial center in the district, Lira, is located 110 kilometres (68 mi), by road, southeast of Gulu, the largest city in Northern Uganda.

Long untouched by the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency that ravaged Kitgum and Pader Districts to the north, the increased violence of 2002 resulted in massive population displacement within the district of Lira.

In 2006 and 2007, Lira District experienced a massive return of Internally Displaced Persons.

Over 310,000 of the estimated 350,000 left camps to return to their home villages in a period of 14 months.

Lango sub-region was home to an estimated 2.5 million Langi in 2023, according to the national census conducted at that time.