The Atlas

Barangays in Samar

The barangay is the smallest local government: where the government's plans and services reach the community, and where neighbours settle disputes.^[1] A punong barangay, often called the kapitan, leads it with seven elected kagawad and the chairperson of the Sangguniang Kabataan.^[1]

A barangay is created by law or by an ordinance of its province or city, and only when its voters approve it in a plebiscite. It needs at least 2,000 people, or 5,000 in Metro Manila and the highly urbanized cities.^[1]

Open Samar

Barangays in Samar, at a glance

Barangays: 951^[2]
People, 2024CensusA count of every person in the country, all on one day. The 2024 census counted people as they were on 1 July 2024.More in the glossary: 806,179^[3]
Urban or ruralUrban barangayThe PSA counts a barangay as urban when it has 5,000 people or more, or a big employer, or several businesses and public services close by. Every barangay in Metro Manila is urban.More in the glossary: 33 urban^[4]; 918 rural, as the PSA classes each barangay.
Most people: Mercedes^[5]; Catbalogan City, Samar; 12,964 people
Largest by landLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.More in the glossary: Camonoan^[6]; Matuguinao, Samar; about 269.78 km²
Fastest growing, 5,000 people or moreGrowth a yearHow fast the number of people changed each year between two censuses. 1% a year means about 1 more person for every 100 people, each year.More in the glossary: Maulong^{[5, 7]}; Catbalogan City, Samar; 1.42% a year, 2020 to 2024
Fewer people than in 2020Growth a yearHow fast the number of people changed each year between two censuses. 1% a year means about 1 more person for every 100 people, each year.More in the glossary: 349 barangays^[7]; Of those with 5,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Canlapwas, −1.50% a year.

Each row is a barangay, with its 2024 census figures. Choose a column heading or a sort button to order the list, and choose it again to turn the order round. Narrow it with the menus.

951 barangays, 901 to 950 shown, most people first.

Barangays in Samar, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Area	Growth, 2020–2024	Urban or rural
901	San MiguelJiabong, Samar	147	about 11	about 12.82 km²	−2.45% a year	Rural
902	SaraoMotiong, Samar	147	about 62	about 2.39 km²	0.83% a year	Rural
903	BaloogBasey, Samar	146	about 21	about 6.87 km²	0.67% a year	Rural
904	Bay-angSan Jorge, Samar	144	about 37	about 3.91 km²	−1.60% a year	Rural
905	HagbaySan Jose De Buan, Samar	143	about 17	about 8.22 km²	−4.60% a year	Rural
906	MalonoyMotiong, Samar	143	about 43	about 3.33 km²	−2.07% a year	Rural
907	GuadalupeSan Jorge, Samar	142	about 39	about 3.65 km²	1.95% a year	Rural
908	BarayongMotiong, Samar	141	about 38	about 3.72 km²	−4.52% a year	Rural
909	AwangTarangnan, Samar	140	about 44	about 3.17 km²	−2.86% a year	Rural
910	CapaysaganMotiong, Samar	139	about 46	about 3.00 km²	7.96% a year	Rural
911	JacintoCalbayog City, Samar	138	about 33	about 4.24 km²	0.35% a year	Rural
912	LubangCalbiga, Samar	138	about 51	about 2.73 km²	−3.05% a year	Rural
913	San RoqueMatuguinao, Samar	136	about 15	about 9.07 km²	−8.50% a year	Rural
914	San EnriqueGandara, Samar	134	about 46	about 2.90 km²	2.68% a year	Rural
915	Del RosarioMatuguinao, Samar	133	about 10	about 13.10 km²	−3.30% a year	Rural
916	TigbeCalbayog City, Samar	133	about 21	about 6.35 km²	−12.31% a year	Rural
917	SundaraSanta Margarita, Samar	131	about 29	about 4.46 km²	−6.84% a year	Rural
918	CarolinaMatuguinao, Samar	130	about 20	about 6.62 km²	−3.53% a year	Rural
919	TigbawonGandara, Samar	130	about 24	about 5.46 km²	−14.27% a year	Rural
920	Sinit-anSan Jorge, Samar	129	about 16	about 8.22 km²	−5.32% a year	Rural
921	SinalangtanCalbiga, Samar	122	about 6	about 20.52 km²	−5.14% a year	Rural
922	HindangCalbiga, Samar	121	about 25	about 4.93 km²	−0.39% a year	Rural
923	RoxasSanta Margarita, Samar	121	about 32	about 3.80 km²	5.97% a year	Rural
924	Santo NiñoMotiong, Samar	121	about 19	about 6.23 km²	7.64% a year	Rural
925	CamonoanMatuguinao, Samar	118	about 0	about 269.78 km²	−4.02% a year	Rural
926	San RamonGandara, Samar	117	about 14	about 8.62 km²	−9.33% a year	Rural
927	HimamalotoGandara, Samar	116	about 50	about 2.30 km²	−1.59% a year	Rural
928	CabugaoSan Jorge, Samar	113	about 6	about 18.58 km²	−3.31% a year	Rural
929	MabuhaySanta Margarita, Samar	113	about 36	about 3.13 km²	4.78% a year	Rural
930	BahaySanta Margarita, Samar	112	about 43	about 2.61 km²	−2.60% a year	Rural
931	HernandezSan Jorge, Samar	112	about 45	about 2.51 km²	−1.24% a year	Rural
932	San AndresMotiong, Samar	112	about 28	about 4.01 km²	−0.21% a year	Rural
933	CawayanCatbalogan City, Samar	110	about 21	about 5.21 km²	−9.27% a year	Rural
934	LangoyonCalbayog City, Samar	108	about 7	about 15.81 km²	−15.22% a year	Rural
935	JolacaoSanta Margarita, Samar	103	about 43	about 2.37 km²	−0.69% a year	Rural
936	SenibaranGandara, Samar	101	about 22	about 4.65 km²	3.36% a year	Rural
937	CalundanSan Jorge, Samar	98	about 9	about 11.43 km²	−4.16% a year	Rural
938	CatigawanPinabacdao, Samar	95	about 27	about 3.49 km²	−6.37% a year	Rural
939	EsperanzaCalbayog City, Samar	94	about 11	about 8.31 km²	−12.50% a year	Rural
940	HindangSanta Margarita, Samar	94	about 33	about 2.83 km²	3.33% a year	Rural
941	CampeigSanta Margarita, Samar	90	about 34	about 2.61 km²	1.96% a year	Rural
942	CanyakiSan Jorge, Samar	90	about 60	about 1.50 km²	−7.22% a year	Rural
943	LigayaMatuguinao, Samar	90	about 11	about 8.21 km²	1.10% a year	Rural
944	BuenavistaCalbayog City, Samar	89	about 11	about 8.01 km²	4.19% a year	Rural
945	BeriMotiong, Samar	88	about 10	about 9.26 km²	0.55% a year	Rural
946	LibertadSan Jorge, Samar	87	about 3	about 28.16 km²	−14.23% a year	Rural
947	CalocnayanCalbayog City, Samar	80	about 11	about 7.54 km²	−7.75% a year	Rural
948	Mabini ICalbayog City, Samar	76	about 9	about 8.06 km²	−30.08% a year	Rural
949	Nag-umaCalbayog City, Samar	70	about 5	about 14.78 km²	1.42% a year	Rural
950	SalvacionCalbayog City, Samar	70	about 4	about 18.42 km²	−18.94% a year	Rural

How it fits

A barangay is the smallest unit of government, led by a punong barangay (the kapitan) and a council of kagawad. Every city and municipality is made up of barangays.

Sources

The list shows each place's own figures: people from the PSA's 2024 census, growth from its 2020 census, land areas from the Land Management Bureau's 2019 masterlist. A barangay's area is measured inside its border on UN OCHA's map and is approximate, and a barangay shows no growth where its border changed after 2020. Every figure's source is on its place's page; how Scene works out the rest.

1.Congress of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 7160: the Local Government Code of 1991. Published October 10, 1991. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
2.Philippine Statistics Authority. Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC), 2nd Quarter 2026: Publication Datafile. Published June 30, 2026. Read by Scene September 24, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
3.Philippine Statistics Authority. Population and Annual Population Growth Rate of the Philippines and its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities Based on the 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2024 Population Census (OpenSTAT table 0211A6DAPG0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
4.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population and Urban Population by Urban Classification and Region, Province, Highly Urbanized City, City/Municipality and Barangay: Philippines, 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0231A6DPUP0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
5.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population, Household Population, and Number of Households by Province, City, Municipality, and Barangay as of 01 July 2024: Eastern Visayas (OpenSTAT table 0081A6DTPH7). Published August 5, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
6.UN OCHA, from the PSA and NAMRIA. Philippines: Subnational Administrative Boundaries (COD-AB), barangay layer. Published February 13, 2025. Read by Scene September 25, 2026. CC BY-IGO 3.0. Open the source
7.Philippine Statistics Authority. Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC), 4th Quarter 2022: Publication Datafile, with the 2015 and 2020 census counts (the PSA's file, as the Internet Archive keeps it). Published December 31, 2022. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source

Scene adds what the sources do not print themselves: growth rates, shares, barangay areas and densities, coordinates, neighbours and distances, each computed from the figures and borders above. How each is made.

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