Erken-Shakhar is a rural locality located in Russia. It serves as the administrative center of the Nogaysky District within the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.
According to census data, the population of the settlement has fluctuated over recent decades. The 2010 census recorded a population of 4,184 residents, following a figure of 4,152 in 2002 and 4,974 during the 1989 Soviet census.