The Central District of Esfarayen County () is in North Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Esfarayen.
In 2023, Daman Kuh and Zorqabad Rural Districts were separated from the district in the formation of Zorqabad District.
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the district's population was 99,381 in 24,945 households. The following census in 2011 counted 107,743 people in 30,280 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the district as 103,603 inhabitants in 30,868 households.