At the National Census of 2006, its population (as a part of the former Rigan District of Bam County) was 9,246 in 1,826 households.[5] There were 4,463 inhabitants in 1,157 households at the following census of 2011,[6] by which time the rural district had been separated from the county in the establishment of Rigan County.[7] At the most recent census of 2016, the population of the rural district was 4,780 in 1,248 households. The most populous of its 81 villages was Dahaneh-ye Abbasali, with 539 people.[2]
In 2023, Gavkan Rural District was separated from the Central District and transferred to the newly formed Rahmatabad District.[3]
^Habibi, Hassan (16 November 1370). "Approval of reforms in the villages of Kerman province". Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran (in Persian). Ministry of Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Council. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.