Meshgin Shahr County

Meshgin Shahr County is in Ardabil province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Meshginshahr.

History
Before the 20th century, Meshgin Shahr County had no urban center of any kind, the people having been mainly nomadic and tribal.

After the 2006 National Census, the villages of Fakhrabad and Moradlu were elevated to city status.

In March 2012, Meshgin-e Gharbi and Shaban Rural Districts were separated from the Central District in the establishment of Qosabeh District. At the same time, the village of Qosabeh rose to the status of a city and became the district capital.

In July 2019, the village of Alni was elevated to the status of a city.

Population
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 156,141 in 36,470 households. The following census in 2011 counted 151,156 people in 40,954 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the district as 149,941 in 45,999 households.

Administrative divisions
Meshgin Shahr County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.