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Region

Bicol Region

Bicol Region is a region of the Philippines in Luzon. Its population was 6,064,426 in the 2024 census, and it has 6 provinces, 7 cities and 107 municipalities.

  • Population: 2024 Census
  • Places: PSGC 2Q 2026
  • Checked by Scene: October 8, 2026
  • Page updated: October 2, 2026
A near-perfect volcanic cone trailing a wisp of cloud above a flooded rice paddy, where a farmer guides a water buffalo, both mirrored in the water.
Mayon Volcano above a flooded rice paddy, where a farmer ploughs with a carabao.Photo: “Mount Mayon 2016” by Gcabig2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; resized by Scene, which also blurred a farmer's face. Scene's copy is shared under the same licence.

  • PeopleSources

    6,064,426

    people counted in the 2024 censusCensusA 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

    Up 11.9% from 2010 to 2024

  • Rank by peopleSources

    5th

    of the 18 regions of the Philippines by population, 2024Rank and shareWorked out by Scene from the PSA's counts: where a place stands among the places listed with it, and how many of every 100 of its parent's people live in it.More in the glossary

    About 5 of every 100 people in the Philippines lived in Bicol Region in 2024 (5.38%)

  • Inside itSources

    6

    provinces

    114 cities and municipalities, 3,471 barangays

  • LandSources

    18,007.22 km²

    of land, 2019 masterlistLand 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.Explained by Scene: Bicol Region's land would fill a square about 134.2 km on each side. That is only a way to picture its size: its real shape is on the map.More in the glossary

    Average density, 2024: 337 people per km²Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.Explained by Scene: About 3 people per hectare if everyone were spread evenly across the land. In fact people live closer together in towns and farther apart in the countryside.More in the glossary

  • HomesSources

    1,470,175

    households in 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary

    4.1 people in each, on average, in 2024

  • Town or countrySources

    24.5%

    About 25 of every 100 people lived in urban barangays in 2024Urban 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

PSGC codePSGC codeThe code the Philippine Statistics Authority gives every place, so each one is known exactly, even when two share a name.More in the glossary
0500000000[5]Formerly 050000000

People

Bicol Region had 6,064,426 people in the 2024 census, up 11.9% from 2010.
People at each census since 1960

Counts from 2000 on are on today’s borders; earlier counts are as the place was then, so the line may step where a border moved.

Bicol Region had the 5th most people of the 18 regions of the Philippines in 2024[1]
  1. 2Metro Manila14,001,751
  2. 3Central Luzon12,989,074
  3. 4Central Visayas6,640,875
  4. 5Bicol Region6,064,426
  5. 6Davao Region5,389,422
  6. 7Ilocos Region5,342,453
  7. 8Northern Mindanao5,178,326
Of every 100 people in Bicol Region in 2024[1]
Age structure · 2024 Census[6]People living in households, by age and sex
  • About 30 of every 100 are children under 15 (29.7%)
  • About 63 of every 100 are of working age, 15 to 64 (63.3%)
  • About 7 of every 100 are 65 or older (7%)
MenWomen

The figures by age

People by age group, men and women
AgePeopleMenWomen
Under 5502,073260,753241,320
5 - 9611,710318,074293,636
10 - 14685,928357,266328,662
15 - 19645,182333,744311,438
20 - 24556,721284,814271,907
25 - 29451,247230,681220,566
30 - 34420,844215,344205,500
35 - 39367,757190,283177,474
40 - 44339,149175,618163,531
45 - 49308,853158,096150,757
50 - 54279,877141,236138,641
55 - 59250,723124,202126,521
60 - 64212,397103,124109,273
65 - 69165,04576,09288,953
70 - 74115,86649,44866,418
75 - 7972,38326,74645,637
80 - 8441,45613,28828,168
85 and over27,3316,82320,508

Every figure, census by census

People, 2024 CensusCensusA 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
6,064,426[1, 2]
Households, 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary
1,470,175[1, 2]
People in each household, 2024
4.1 on average[1, 2]
Share of the Philippines, 2024Rank and shareWorked out by Scene from the PSA's counts: where a place stands among the places listed with it, and how many of every 100 of its parent's people live in it.More in the glossary
5.38%[1]
In urban barangays, 2024Urban 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
24.5% (1,486,306 people)[7]
Men and women, 2024
3,065,632 men, 2,988,910 women[6]People living in households
Population at each census, with its source
CensusPopulationGrowth since the census beforeHouseholdsPeople per household
2024as of July 1, 20246,064,426[1, 2]−0.07% a year1,470,1754.1
2020as of May 1, 20206,082,165[1]1.02% a year——
2015as of August 1, 20155,796,989[1]1.29% a year——
2010as of May 1, 20105,420,411[1]———
2007as of August 1, 2007; as it was then5,106,160[21]1.19% a year——
2000as of May 1, 2000; on today’s borders4,686,669[21, 22]1.73% a year——
1995as of September 1, 1995; as it was then4,325,307[21]1.91% a year——
1990as of May 1, 1990; as it was then3,910,001[21]1.18% a year——
1980as of May 1, 1980; as it was then3,476,982[21]1.71% a year——
1975as of May 1, 1975; as it was then3,193,721[21]1.49% a year——
1970as of May 6, 1970; as it was then2,966,881[21]2.25% a year——
1960as of February 15, 1960; as it was then2,362,707[21]———

Provinces and cities

Bicol Region is made up of 6 provinces, with 3,471 barangays in all.
Colour byColours the map of Bicol Region by the figure chosen; the key beside it says what each colour means.
CALABARZONAlbay: 1,379,398 people, 549 per km², 0.08% a yearCamarines Norte: 604,666 people, 273 per km², −0.97% a yearCamarines Sur: 2,063,314 people, 361 per km², −0.06% a yearCatanduanes: 261,169 people, 178 per km², −0.96% a yearMasbate: 910,813 people, 222 per km², 0.05% a yearSorsogon: 845,066 people, 424 per km², 0.47% a year

People · 2024 Census

  • Under 300,000
  • 300,000 to 640,000
  • 640,000 to 890,000
  • 890,000 to 1.6 million
  • 1.6 million and over

The same steps colour every map of provinces in the Atlas, so a colour means the same range everywhere.

Density · people per km², 2024

  • Under 140
  • 140 to 220
  • 220 to 310
  • 310 to 440
  • 440 and over

The same steps colour every map of provinces in the Atlas, so a colour means the same range everywhere.

Growth a year · 2020–2024

  • Fell by more than 1% a year
  • Fell, by up to 1% a year
  • Grew, by under 1% a year
  • Grew by 1 to 2% a year
  • Grew by 2% a year or more

Each place's yearly change between the 2020 and 2024 censuses, on the same steps as every map in the Atlas.

Borders from UN OCHA (PSA and NAMRIA), a guide and not the legal boundary[3, 4]Open in OpenStreetMap
Provinces and cities of Bicol Region. Each column heading sorts the table.
[1, 8]Share (2024)
Albay1,379,39822.75%0.08% a year2,514.74 km²
Camarines Norte604,6669.97%−0.97% a year2,218.56 km²
Camarines Sur2,063,31434.02%−0.06% a year5,718.25 km²
Catanduanes261,1694.31%−0.96% a year1,466.91 km²
Masbate910,81315.02%0.05% a year4,095.65 km²
Sorsogon845,06613.93%0.47% a year1,993.11 km²

Land & Environment

Bicol Region covers 18,007.22 km² of land, 337 people for every km² in 2024. Its land rises to 2,461 m above the sea and it has 4,006.9 km of coast.
Land areaLand 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
18,007.22 km²[8]As listed in the 2019 Masterlist of Land Areas (LMB, DENR)
Average density, 2024Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.More in the glossary
337 people per km²[8]
Coordinates
13.20167° N, 123.55262° E[3]The point inside its border farthest from every edge, so it always falls within the place.
Height above the sea[17]
Lowest
Sea level
Average
135 m
Highest
2,461 m

Heights from the Copernicus DEM, a 30 m model of the surface: it reads the tops of trees and roofs, not the bare ground, over the land inside the border, the sea left out. Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Water, coast and peaks

4,006.9 km of coastline[18]

Rivers[18]

  1. Bicol River71.2 of 93.6 km
  2. Labo River52.2 km
  3. Libmanan River46.6 of 52.7 km
  4. Libmanan River41.9 km
  5. Lanang River41.9 of 42.8 km
  6. Pajo River38.4 of 38.6 km
  7. Nainday River35.4 of 35.5 km
  8. Talisay River31.0 km

The longest inside it: 124 in all.

Lakes[18]

  1. Lake Bato26.0 km²
  2. Lake Buhi17.1 km²
  3. Bulusan Lake0.25 km²
  4. Danao Lake0.11 km²

Peaks[18]

  1. Mount Mayonvolcano2,460 m
  2. Mount Isarog1,860 m
  3. Mount Bulusanvolcano1,565 m
  4. Mount Malinao1,548 m
  5. Masaragavolcano1,328 m
  6. Mount Masaraga1,328 m

The highest: 103 in all.

Named rivers, lakes and peaks as OpenStreetMap mapped them on 30 September 2026, and the coast within 150 m of the border. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database License.

Climate

Climate typeClimate typePAGASA sorts the country's climate into four types by when the rain falls. Type I has a dry season from November to April and a wet one for the rest of the year; Type II has no dry season, with the most rain from December to February; Type III has a short dry season; Type IV has rain spread through the year.More in the glossary

Type II[19]

No dry season. The rain is heaviest from December to February, and no month is truly dry.

Covers about 42 of every 100 parts of its land. Read by Scene off PAGASA's climate map, so approximate: the type that covers most of the place's land.

At Legaspi City, the nearest PAGASA station, 20 km away[20]Averages for 1991 to 2020: 3,593 mm of rain on 195 days a year; 27.7 °C on average

Rain each month Average temperature

The figures by month

Climate at Legaspi City, 1991 to 2020, by month
MonthRainRainy daysAverageHighLow
January347 mm1826.1 °C28.9 °C23.3 °C
February251 mm1326.3 °C29.4 °C23.3 °C
March232 mm1427.0 °C30.2 °C23.9 °C
April152 mm1228.2 °C31.7 °C24.8 °C
May198 mm1329.0 °C32.5 °C25.6 °C
June216 mm1428.8 °C32.3 °C25.3 °C
July281 mm1828.2 °C31.5 °C24.9 °C
August223 mm1628.3 °C31.5 °C25.0 °C
September280 mm1728.1 °C31.5 °C24.8 °C
October322 mm1827.8 °C31.1 °C24.4 °C
November450 mm2027.4 °C30.4 °C24.4 °C
December642 mm2226.7 °C29.4 °C24.0 °C
The year3,593 mm19527.7 °C30.9 °C24.5 °C

A station's figures describe the place around it only roughly: inland and in the hills it may be cooler and wetter. The station stands 15 m above the sea.

Life & Economy

Bicol Region's economy made ₱789.4 billion of goods and services in 2025, ₱124,630 for each person. About 28 of every 100 people lived below the poverty line in 2023.
Economy, 2025Gross domestic productThe value of all the goods and services made in a place in a year: the size of its economy. The PSA measures it for every region, province and highly urbanized city. Counted at 2018 prices, it leaves out the rise in prices, so one year can be set beside another.More in the glossary
₱789.4 billion[13]Its gross domestic product at current prices; ₱644.1 billion at 2018 prices.
Growth, 2024–2025
0.5%[14]How much more it made than the year before, at 2018 prices.
For each person, 2025
₱124,630[15]Its economy divided by its projected population, at current prices, as the PSA works it out.
Poverty, 2023Poverty incidenceHow many of every 100 people live in families whose income is below the poverty line: what a person needs in a year for food and other basic needs, as the PSA sets it for each province. It is an estimate, from a survey or, for a town, a statistical model, so the PSA gives a range it is likely to fall in.More in the glossary
27.5% of people[16]Below the poverty line, by the PSA's survey.
About 28 of every 100 people in Bicol Region lived below the poverty line in 2023 (27.5%)[16]

The PSA's survey puts it between 25.7% and 29.4%, with 95% confidence. The poverty line was ₱33,575 a person for the year.

History & Identity

Official name
Region V (Bicol Region)[5]
Created
The Bicol Region (Region V) was one of the administrative regions set up when Presidential Decree No. 1 of 24 September 1972 adopted the Integrated Reorganization Plan, which divided the country into regions.[9]

How it got its name

Local traditionProvincial history from Camarines Sur says the name Kabikolan comes from the word biko, meaning bent, crooked or twisted, for the winding course of the Bicol River.[10]

Local traditionThe same page says the early people called themselves Ibalon and their land Tiera de Ibalon, a name once used for all Luzon and later taken for the Kabikolan region.[10]

Its story

Presidential Decree No. 1 of 24 September 1972 adopted the Integrated Reorganization Plan, the order that divided the country into administrative regions.[9]

The Department of Education says the decree led to regional offices in every region, and its Region V office dates its own birth to that reorganization.[11]

A 1975 decree on the Bureau of Internal Revenue named its Revenue Region No. 5 the Bicol Region, covering six provinces and centred at Legazpi City.[12]

Timeline

  1. 24 September 1972

    Presidential Decree No. 1 adopted the Integrated Reorganization Plan that divided the country into regions.[9]

  2. 21 January 1975

    Presidential Decree No. 640 named the Bureau of Internal Revenue region for Bicol the Bicol Region, centred at Legazpi.[12]

Nearby

Bicol Region shares a border with CALABARZON.

How it compares

Bicol Region beside Luzon, and where it stands among the regions of the Philippines.

Bicol Region beside Luzon
FigureBicol RegionLuzonRank among the regions of the Philippines
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 glossary6,064,426[1, 2, 23]64,162,9774th of 8
Growth a year, 2020–2024Growth 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−0.07% a year[1, 2, 23]slower0.75% a year8th of 8
People per km², 2024Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.More in the glossary337[1, 8, 23]less crowded4265th of 8
Land areaLand 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 glossary18,007.22 km²[8]150,742.84 km²5th of 8
People in each household, 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary4.1[1, 2, 23]higher3.7not ranked
In urban barangays, 2024Urban 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 glossary24.5%[7]not publishednot ranked

Shares a border with[3]

Sources

Page updated October 2, 2026. Sources checked by Scene October 8, 2026.
  1. 1.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
  2. 2.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population, Household Population, and Number of Households by Province, City, Municipality, and Barangay as of 01 July 2024: Bicol Region (OpenSTAT table 0051A6DTPH4). Published August 4, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  3. 3.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
  4. 4.OpenStreetMap contributors. Barangay boundaries from OpenStreetMap, where UN OCHA's layer has none. Published September 25, 2026. Read by Scene September 25, 2026. ODbL 1.0. Open the source
  5. 5.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
  6. 6.Philippine Statistics Authority. Household Population by Age-Group Region, Province, and Highly Urbanized City: Philippines, 2024 Census of Population (OpenSTAT table 0201A6DPAG0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.Philippine Statistics Authority, from the Land Management Bureau (DENR). Population, Land Area, Population Density, and Percent Change in Population Density by Region, Province/Highly Urbanized City, and City/Municipality: 2015, 2020, and 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0221A6DLPD0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  9. 9.Malacañang / LawPhil Project. Presidential Decree No. 1, Reorganizing the Executive Branch of the National Government. Published September 24, 1972. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
  10. 10.Provincial Government of Camarines Sur. Province History. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
  11. 11.Department of Education Region V. Region V - About the Region. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
  12. 12.Malacañang / LawPhil Project. Presidential Decree No. 640, Revising the Staffing Pattern of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Published January 21, 1975. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
  13. 13.Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Gross Regional Domestic Product, by Region (OpenSTAT table 0012B5BPGD1). Published April 23, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  14. 14.Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Gross Regional Domestic Product, by Region, Growth Rates (OpenSTAT table 0022B5BPGD2). Published April 23, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  15. 15.Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Per Capita Gross Regional Domestic Product, by Region (OpenSTAT table 0772B5BPCP1). Published April 23, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  16. 16.Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Table 2a. Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold and Poverty Incidence Among Population with Measures of Precision, by Region, Province and Highly Urbanized Cities: 2018, 2021, and 2023 (OpenSTAT table 0041F3DF02A). Published August 15, 2024. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  17. 17.European Union and the European Space Agency (Copernicus), from DLR and Airbus Defence and Space (WorldDEM). Copernicus DEM GLO-30: global digital surface model at 30 m, one-degree tiles (2021 release). Published 2021. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. Copernicus DEM GLO-30 licence: free, any use including commercial, with the Copernicus notice. Open the source
  18. 18.OpenStreetMap contributors, extract by Geofabrik. Named rivers, lakes, reservoirs, peaks and the coastline of the Philippines in OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extract, cut by osmium). Published September 30, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. ODbL 1.0. Open the source
  19. 19.Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Climatology and Agrometeorology Division. Climate Map of the Philippines (1951-2010), Modified Coronas Climate Classification. Published August 2014. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. A work of the Government of the Philippines: no copyright (RA 8293 s.176.1); PAGASA's approval is needed to use it for profit. Open the source
  20. 20.Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Climatology and Agrometeorology Division. Climatological Normals, 1991-2020, by synoptic station (one PDF each). Published January 2022. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. A work of the Government of the Philippines: no copyright (RA 8293 s.176.1); PAGASA's approval is needed to use it for profit. Open the source
  21. 21.Philippine Statistics Authority. 2015 Census of Population, Statistical Tables, Table 1: Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by City/Municipality, 1960-2015 (one workbook for each province, highly urbanized city and region). Published 2017. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  22. 22.Philippine Statistics Authority. 2020 Census of Population and Housing: Table A (Population and Annual Growth Rate for the Philippines and its Regions, Provinces and Highly Urbanized Cities) and Table B (Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City and Municipality, by Region). Published July 2021. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  23. 23.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population, Household Population, Number of Households and Average Household Size by Region, Province, and Highly Urbanized City: Philippines, 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0191A6DTHP8). Published August 7, 2026. 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.

See something wrong on this page? Write to hello@scene.ph with the page address. We check every report against the source.

Cite this page

Scene.ph. “Bicol Region.” Scene Atlas. Updated October 2, 2026. https://scene.ph/atlas/bicol-region