Pithecia pithecia is distributed throughout the northern Amazon basin (Hershkovitz 1987). In Venezuela, it is restricted to the north-eastern Bolívar State and the southern part of the Delta Amacuro State. This species is located east of the lower Caroní River, south of the lower Orinoco River, and along the Cuyuní river basin.

The exact range limits of the two subspecies remain unclear. According to Hershkovitz (1987), Pithecia p. pithecia occurs in the Guyanas and Pithecia p. chrysocephala in Brazil; however, the former has been confirmed in the state of Amapá and the north of Pará, which means the range of Pithecia p. chrysocephala is reduced to the area between the Rios Negro and Rio Nhamundá (Jose Silva Jr. pers. comm.).