Kohat District (Pashto: کوهاټ ولسوالۍ, Urdu: ضلع کوہاٹ) is a district of Kohat Division in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Kohat is the capital of the district.

From the early sixteenth century, the history of Kohat revolves around three major tribes namely Bangash, Banoori, and Afridi. These people seemingly established their settlements within the district during the 14th and 15th centuries. From 16th to 18th centuries, Kohat being a part of the Mughal Empire was administered by the chiefs of the two aforementioned tribes.^{[citation needed]}

Kohat district was annexed by the British from its former Sikh rulers after the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848–1849.

As of the 2023 census, Kohat district has 169,679 households and a population of 1,234,661. The district has a sex ratio of 104.05 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 58.55%: 76.38% for males and 40.28% for females. 334,178 (27.07% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 278,741 (22.58%) live in urban areas.

At the time of the 2023 census, 85.90% of the population spoke Pashto, 12.43% Hindko, and 0.83% Urdu as their first language.

In Kohat District, 99.49% people subscribe to Islamic faith.

Kohat district is divided into four Tehsils:

33°20′N 71°10′E / 33.333°N 71.167°E / 33.333; 71.167