At the time of the 2006 National Census, the rural district's population was 16,875 in 4,438 households.[4] There were 16,321 inhabitants in 4,779 households at the following census of 2011.[5] The 2016 census measured the population of the rural district as 16,375 in 5,223 households. The most populous of its 14 villages was Vanai (now a city),[6] with 4,862 people.[2]