From 1526 to 1527, the area was ruled by the independent Serb ruler, emperor Jovan Nenad, while during Ottoman administration (16th-18th century), it was divided between the Temeşvar Eyalet in the east and the Sanjak of Segedin in the west.

During Habsburg administration (18th century), the area was divided between the Banat of Temeswar in the east and the Military Frontier in the west.

During the German-Hungarian Axis occupation (1941-1944), the area was divided between the Banat autonomous region (part of the German-occupied puppet state of Serbia) in the east and the Bács-Bodrog County (an administrative unit of Horthy's Hungary) in the west.

The North Banat District comprises the city of Kikinda, five municipalities and 50 local communities.

With the results of the 2011 census, Hungarians were the largest ethnic group in the district at 46.64%, closely followed by Serbs at 42.67%.

The ethnic composition of the district (as of the 2011 and 2022 censuses): The first modern Serb printing house was founded in Kikinda in 1878, to be followed a year later by the opening of the first library.