Historically, Raicur can be recorded from third century BC., the period of Ashoka. It was the part of Satavahanas’s kingdom in the early Christian era. Chalukyas of Badami also ruled over it. In the eighth century, it became the part of Rashtrakutas. The meaning of Racha is Raja or King and oor means a place or town, thus meaning King’s place. Permmana Rachavoor or Rachanoor was changed into Rachoor or Rachooruseen from a Kakatiya fort-wall inscription, by 1294 AD. The name was converted into present Rayachooru during Krishnadevaraya period. In Urdu, It was spelt Raichuras. In 1363, it was overruled by Bahmani Sultanate. Aurangzeb captured it in 1686. From 1724 to 1948, the district was ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad as a part of Gulbarga Division except the period between 1853 and 1860. That time it was the part of British Empire.

The district has several notable persons from different fields. Hazrat Khwaja Syed Mohammad Badshah Qadri-ul-Chishti Yamani Raichuri Rahmatullah'alaih was a Sufi saint of the Chisti from 1903 to 1978. He is also known as Badshah Quadri or Badesha Qadri. He preached universal brotherhood and peace. Sriwass has worked for Telugu cinema. He is film director, and screenwriter. His famous movies are Loukyam and Dictator.

Geographically, the district has total 8,442 sq. km. and occupies the Ranks 8th in State and 94th in Inida. It lies at 16°21'N, 77°35'E and 407 m altitude. In the year 2023, there was a total 0.57% forest area of total geographical area. It is surrounded by the Krishna River on the North, the Tungabhadra River on the South and Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh on East. Bijapur and Gulbarga districts are situated on the North and Bagalkot and Koppal districts are on the West of the Krishna River. Bellary District is situated on the South-West and Mahabubnagar on the South-East of the Telangana River. The climate of the district remains pleasant almost throughout the year. Most of its rainfall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 585.4 mm in the year of 2024-2025.

Administrative wise, the district is divided into 5 sub-districts. Moreover, it has 9 towns and 815 villages. Kannada is its official language. The district of Raichur came into existence on the 1st November, 1956 in the state of Karnataka with an allotted district code of 559. Raichur is its district headquarters which is located at a distance of 412 km. from the State Capital.

Demographically, according to 2011 census, the district is comprising a total number of 3,59,337 households with a total population of 19,28,812 including 9,64,511 are males and 9,64,301 are females. Furthermore, the district has an estimated projected population of 23,52,167 comprising 11,77,931 males and 11,74,236 females for the year 2026. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21), the district has an estimated sex ratio of 1,033 females and a child sex ratio of 900 females per 1,000 males. The population growth rate during the period 2001 to 2011 was 15.51% out of which 14.57% are males and 16.47% are females. The density of population of the district is 228 persons per sq. km. The sex ratio is pegged at 1000 (females per 1000 males) while the child ratio stands at 950 (females per 1000 males). As per 2011 census the percentage of major religions practiced by the people of this region is Hindu at 84.72% and Muslim at 14.10%. According to 2011 census, the percentage of principal languages of the region is Kannada at 74.87%, Urdu at 11.57% and Telugu at 8.11%. In the year 2023 the number of live births in the district was 52,687 out of which 27,636 were males and 25,051 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 12,874 out of which 7,936 were males and 4,938 were females.

Economically, agriculture is the prime source of income of Raichur. It has a power station namely Raichur Thermal Power Station at Shaktinagar. The Raichur Thermal Power Station at Shaktinagar in this district provides a large portion of the electricity consumption in Karnataka. It is also rich with gold resources. Hatti Gold Mines is located here. The district has no problem of water for irrigation due to Tungabhadra Dam on the Tungabhadra River, and Narayanpura Dam on the Krishna River. Numerous rice mills are situated here because of availability of Super quality rice. It also has a good trading market in cotton industry. It is considered as most 250 backward districts of the country and receiving the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF). In the year 2023-2024 the Gross Domestic Product in the district was Rs. 42,21,068 lakh at current price and Rs. 23,59,546 lakh at constant 2011-2012 prices. The Net Domestic Product in the district during the period 2023-2024 was Rs. 36,44,853 lakh at current price and Rs. 19,94,017 lakh at constant 2011-2012 prices. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost in the district during the period 2023-2024 was Rs. 1,67,810 at current price and Rs. 91,805 at constant 2011-2012 prices.

Education wise, according to 2011 census, the literacy rate in the district is 59.56% including 70.47% are males and 48.73% are females. The total literate population of the district is 9,79,769 including 5,77,213 are males and 4,02,556 are females. In addition, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the period July 2023-June 2024 estimated literacy rate in the district is 62.63% including 72.68% are males and 50.03% are females (Age 7 Years and Above). Navodaya Institute of Technology (NIT) is situated in Raichur, India. It is under the VTU Visvesvaraya Technological University, recognized by the Government of Karnataka and approved by the All India Council of Technical Education AICTE, New Delhi. It is founded in 2009 by S.R Reddy. It provides professional education in computer science, electronics and communication, information science, mechanical, electrical and civil. In 2001, Navodaya Medical College (NMC) in Raichur was established by S. R Reddy. It is the first private medical college. At this time, it is a full-fledged independent Medical college. S.L.N College of Engineering in Raichur, Karnataka was established in 1979 under the H.K.E Society. It is affiliated with Visvesvaraya Technological University. It offers 6 graduates programs-Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Information Science and Engineering and Textile Engineering. It also provides course of Master of Business Administration. University of Agricultural Sciences is established through the University of Agricultural Sciences Act, 2009. It organizes the study and research of agricultural sciences. The district also has a number of primary, higher and secondary schools. For instance, Xavier School, Manvi, is a co-educational and English medium high school. It is founded by the Jesuits in 2004.

The district has some famous political personalities. For instance, Abdul Samad Siddiqui is one of the famous Muslim leaders from the North Karnataka region. He was the former Member of Parliament from 1988 till 1994. He is an educationist and established many educational institutes for the poor such as New Education Society, Millat Education Society, etc.

During the year 2016, there were 14,250 domestic tourists who visited the historical and the religious places of the district. The famous tourist places of the region are Raichur Fort, Mahalaxmi Temple, Maski, Mudgal, Hatti Gold Mines, Naradagadde, Jaladurga Village, Piklihal and Kallur Archaeological Site.