# Raška District

The Raška District (Serbian: Рашки округ / Raški okrug, pronounced) is one of eight administrative districts of Šumadija and Western Serbia. It expands to the southwestern part of the country. As of the 2022 census, the district has a population of 296,532 inhabitants. The administrative center of the Raška district is Kraljevo.

## Municipalities

The district encompasses the municipalities of:
* Kraljevo
* Vrnjačka Banja
* Raška
* Novi Pazar
* Tutin

## Demographics

According to the census results from 2011, the Raška District has 309,258 inhabitants. 53.2% of the population lives in the urban areas. As of the 2022 census, the district has a population of 296,532 inhabitants. Ethnic composition of the district:

### Ethnic groups

| Ethnic group | Census 2011 | Census 2011 | Census 2022 | Census 2022 |
| Ethnic group | Population | % | Population | % |
| Serbs | 188,208 | 60.9 | 161,033 | 54.3 |
| Bosniaks | 105,488 | 34.1 | 115,640 | 39.0 |
| Muslims | 5,255 | 1.70 | 2,249 | 0.76 |
| Romani | 2,435 | 0.79 | 1,982 | 0.67 |
| Gorani | 334 | 0.11 | 357 | 0.12 |
| Montenegrins | 740 | 0.24 | 310 | 0.10 |
| Yugoslavs | 214 | 0.07 | 279 | 0.09 |
| Albanians | 267 | 0.09 | 252 | 0.08 |
| Macedonians | 289 | 0.09 | 177 | 0.06 |
| Croats | 215 | 0.07 | 152 | 0.05 |
| Others | 5,813 | 1.88 | 14,101 | 4.77 |
| Total | 309,258 | | 296,532 | |

### Religion

Based on the census results from 2022, the Raška District has a Christian Orthodox majority (54.1%) and a substantial Muslim minority (40.4%).
| Religious group | Census 2002 | Census 2002 | Census 2011 | Census 2011 | Census 2022 | Census 2022 |
| Religious group | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % |
| Orthodoxy | 188,903 | 64.9 | 188,112 | 60.8 | 160,494 | 54.1 |
| Islam | 96,312 | 33.1 | 112,520 | 36.4 | 119,925 | 40.4 |
| Other Christians | 503 | 0.18 | 2,217 | 0.72 | 2,220 | 0.75 |
| Others | 769 | 0.26 | 63 | 0.26 | 587 | 0.20 |
| Did not declare | 1,311 | 0.45 | 2,425 | 0.78 | 1,904 | 0.64 |
| Unknown | 3,432 | 1.18 | 3,941 | 1.27 | 11,402 | 3.85 |
| Total | 291,230 | | 309,258 | | 296,532 | |

## Society and culture
### Culture

At the outskirts of Kraljevo stands the Žiča monastery. This spiritual center of the Serbian medieval state was built around 1220, to also become the center of newly founded Serbian Archiepiscopacy.
The Studenica monastery was built in the late twelfth century, as the endowment of the Serb ruler Stefan Nemanja, who endowed it richly with icons and books. After he had become a monk and left for the Serbian Hilandar on Mt. Athos, his older son Stefan, later named the "First-Crowned", took his place as the caretaker of the monastery. In the vicinity of Novi Pazar stands the Sopoćani monastery, built around 1260 as the endowment of King Stefan Uroš I, the son of King Stefan the First-Crowned. The primary and major value of the Sopoćani monastery are its frescoes, by which it ranks among the best examples of European medieval painting.

### Education

There are three universities located in the Raška District:

#### Public

* State University of Novi Pazar, founded in 2006
* University of Kragujevac - there are two faculties of the university that are located in the municipalities of Kraljevo and Vrnjačka Banja
** Faculty of Mechanical and Civil Engineering in Kraljevo
** Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja

#### Private

* International University of Novi Pazar, founded in 2002