Skip to content

Region

Eastern Visayas

Eastern Visayas is a region of the Philippines in Visayas. Its population was 4,625,929 in the 2024 census, and it has 6 provinces, 7 cities and 136 municipalities.

  • Population: 2024 Census
  • Places: PSGC 2Q 2026
  • Checked by Scene: October 8, 2026
  • Page updated: October 2, 2026
A long bridge curving across a blue strait between green shores, seen from the air, with a housing estate on the near shore and low islands beyond.
The San Juanico Bridge across the San Juanico Strait, between Leyte and Samar, seen from the air.Photo: “San Juanico Bridge from above” by Mermarquez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; resized by Scene. Scene's copy is shared under the same licence.

  • PeopleSources

    4,625,929

    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 12.8% from 2010 to 2024

  • Rank by peopleSources

    12th

    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 4 of every 100 people in the Philippines lived in Eastern Visayas in 2024 (4.1%)

  • Inside itSources

    6

    provinces

    143 cities and municipalities, 4,365 barangays

  • LandSources

    21,017.38 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: Eastern Visayas's land would fill a square about 145.0 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: 220 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 2 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

    1,155,969

    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

    4.0 people in each, on average, in 2024

  • Town or countrySources

    17.3%

    About 17 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
0800000000[4]Formerly 080000000

People

Eastern Visayas had 4,625,929 people in the 2024 census, up 12.8% 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.

Eastern Visayas had the 12th most people of the 18 regions of the Philippines in 2024[1]
  1. 9Zamboanga Peninsula5,089,934
  2. 10Negros Island Region4,904,944
  3. 11Western Visayas4,861,911
  4. 12Eastern Visayas4,625,929
  5. 13Bangsamoro (BARMM)4,545,486
  6. 14SOCCSKSARGEN4,462,776
  7. 15Cagayan Valley3,777,608
Of every 100 people in Eastern Visayas in 2024[1]
Age structure · 2024 Census[5]People living in households, by age and sex
  • About 29 of every 100 are children under 15 (28.5%)
  • About 64 of every 100 are of working age, 15 to 64 (64%)
  • About 8 of every 100 are 65 or older (7.5%)
MenWomen

The figures by age

People by age group, men and women
AgePeopleMenWomen
Under 5370,939191,836179,103
5 - 9444,818231,972212,846
10 - 14499,057258,862240,195
15 - 19472,669244,698227,971
20 - 24417,259214,343202,916
25 - 29360,681185,438175,243
30 - 34330,703172,038158,665
35 - 39284,021149,221134,800
40 - 44258,338135,617122,721
45 - 49238,208124,569113,639
50 - 54221,231114,076107,155
55 - 59196,26099,19997,061
60 - 64170,73685,40885,328
65 - 69133,18164,55868,623
70 - 7493,51541,99851,517
75 - 7959,98424,34135,643
80 - 8435,72912,89922,830
85 and over22,9146,82916,085

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
4,625,929[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
1,155,969[1, 2]
People in each household, 2024
4.0 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
4.1%[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
17.3% (802,068 people)[6]
Men and women, 2024
2,357,902 men, 2,252,341 women[5]People living in households
Population at each census, with its source
CensusPopulationGrowth since the census beforeHouseholdsPeople per household
2024as of July 1, 20244,625,929[1, 2]0.41% a year1,155,9694.0
2020as of May 1, 20204,547,150[1]0.50% a year——
2015as of August 1, 20154,440,150[1]1.52% a year——
2010as of May 1, 20104,101,322[1]———
2007as of August 1, 2007; as it was then3,915,140[18]1.12% a year——
2000as of May 1, 2000; on today’s borders3,610,355[18, 19]1.51% a year——
1995as of September 1, 1995; as it was then3,366,917[18]1.84% a year——
1990as of May 1, 1990; as it was then3,054,490[18]0.87% a year——
1980as of May 1, 1980; as it was then2,799,534[18]1.49% a year——
1975as of May 1, 1975; as it was then2,599,728[18]1.77% a year——
1970as of May 6, 1970; as it was then2,381,409[18]1.52% a year——
1960as of February 15, 1960; as it was then2,040,966[18]———

Provinces and cities

Eastern Visayas is made up of 6 provinces and 1 city that governs itself, Tacloban City, with 4,365 barangays in all.
Colour byColours the map of Eastern Visayas by the figure chosen; the key beside it says what each colour means.
Biliran: 184,095 people, 349 per km², 0.63% a yearEastern Samar: 472,683 people, 91 per km², −0.23% a yearLeyte: 1,823,458 people, 367 per km², 0.62% a yearNorthern Samar: 645,789 people, 195 per km², 0.25% a yearSamar: 806,179 people, 149 per km², 0.39% a yearSouthern Leyte: 434,372 people, 286 per km², 0.27% a yearTacloban City: 259,353 people, 2,514 per km², 0.70% 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]Open in OpenStreetMap
Provinces and cities of Eastern Visayas. Each column heading sorts the table.
Kind[1, 7]Share (2024)
BiliranProvince184,0953.98%0.63% a year527.39 km²
Eastern SamarProvince472,68310.22%−0.23% a year5,173.75 km²
LeyteProvince1,823,45839.42%0.62% a year4,969.46 km²
Northern SamarProvince645,78913.96%0.25% a year3,310.52 km²
SamarProvince806,17917.43%0.39% a year5,414.68 km²
Southern LeyteProvince434,3729.39%0.27% a year1,518.40 km²
Tacloban CityHighly urbanized city259,3535.61%0.70% a year103.18 km²

Land & Environment

Eastern Visayas covers 21,017.38 km² of land, 220 people for every km² in 2024. Its land rises to 1,350 m above the sea and it has 3,970.3 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
21,017.38 km²[7]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
220 people per km²[7]
Coordinates
12.20215° N, 124.96713° E[3]The point inside its border farthest from every edge, so it always falls within the place.
Height above the sea[14]
Lowest
Sea level
Average
167 m
Highest
1,350 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

3,970.3 km of coastline[15]

Rivers[15]

  1. Pambujan River128.3 km
  2. Las Navas River93.3 of 93.6 km
  3. Jibatang River83.7 km
  4. Dolores River81.5 of 82.5 km
  5. Suribao River81.0 of 81.2 km
  6. Ulot River74.9 of 75.7 km
  7. Oras River70.2 of 70.5 km
  8. Binahaan River62.7 of 62.9 km

The longest inside it: 223 in all.

Lakes[15]

  1. Lake Danao1.5 km²
  2. Lake Bito1.4 km²
  3. Lake Catarman0.57 km²
  4. Danao Lake0.22 km²
  5. Catubig River Dam Reservoirreservoir0.16 km²
  6. Lake Kasudsuran0.14 km²

Peaks[15]

  1. Mount Naliwatan (Tres Marias Peak 3)volcano1,346 m
  2. Mount Suirovolcano1,301 m
  3. Janagdanvolcano1,200 m
  4. Mount Aminduen1,200 m
  5. Mount Lauaanvolcano1,172 m
  6. Mount Tabaan1,170 m

The highest: 177 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 IV[16]

Rain spread fairly evenly through the year, with no dry season.

Covers about 54 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 Catbalogan, the nearest PAGASA station, 48 km away[17]Averages for 1991 to 2020: 2,991 mm of rain on 181 days a year; 28.4 °C on average

Rain each month Average temperature

The figures by month

Climate at Catbalogan, 1991 to 2020, by month
MonthRainRainy daysAverageHighLow
January296 mm1626.7 °C30.8 °C22.7 °C
February208 mm1227.0 °C31.4 °C22.6 °C
March191 mm1328.6 °C32.4 °C23.2 °C
April124 mm1128.8 °C33.5 °C24.1 °C
May179 mm1229.5 °C33.9 °C25.0 °C
June230 mm1529.2 °C33.4 °C25.0 °C
July292 mm1728.8 °C32.7 °C24.9 °C
August196 mm1229.1 °C32.9 °C25.3 °C
September280 mm1528.9 °C32.8 °C24.9 °C
October299 mm1928.4 °C32.3 °C24.4 °C
November293 mm1927.8 °C31.9 °C23.8 °C
December404 mm2027.3 °C31.2 °C23.4 °C
The year2,991 mm18128.4 °C32.4 °C24.1 °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 5 m above the sea.

Life & Economy

Eastern Visayas's economy made ₱645.6 billion of goods and services in 2025, ₱137,209 for each person. About 27 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
₱645.6 billion[10]Its gross domestic product at current prices; ₱560.7 billion at 2018 prices.
Growth, 2024–2025
1.0%[11]How much more it made than the year before, at 2018 prices.
For each person, 2025
₱137,209[12]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
27.3% of people[13]Below the poverty line, by the PSA's survey.
About 27 of every 100 people in Eastern Visayas lived below the poverty line in 2023 (27.3%)[13]

The PSA's survey puts it between 25.3% and 29.2%, with 95% confidence. The poverty line was ₱32,381 a person for the year.

History & Identity

Official name
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)[4]
Created
Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) 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.[8]

Its story

Presidential Decree No. 1 of 24 September 1972 adopted the Integrated Reorganization Plan that divided the country into administrative regions, among them Region VIII.[8]

A 1975 decree on the Bureau of Internal Revenue named its Revenue Region No. 8 the Eastern Visayas Region, covering Samar and Leyte and centred at Tacloban City.[9]

Timeline

  1. 24 September 1972

    Presidential Decree No. 1 adopted the Integrated Reorganization Plan that divided the country into regions.[8]

  2. 21 January 1975

    Presidential Decree No. 640 named the Bureau of Internal Revenue region for Samar and Leyte the Eastern Visayas Region.[9]

Nearby

Eastern Visayas shares no land border with another region. Nearest across the water are Bicol Region, Central Visayas, Caraga and Northern Mindanao.

How it compares

Eastern Visayas beside Visayas, and where it stands among the regions of the Philippines.

Eastern Visayas beside Visayas
FigureEastern VisayasVisayasRank 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 glossary4,625,929[1, 2, 20]21,033,6594th of 4
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 glossary0.41% a year[1, 2, 20]slower0.52% a year3rd of 4
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 glossary220[1, 7, 20]less crowded3744th of 4
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 glossary21,017.38 km²[7]56,187.49 km²1st of 4
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 glossary4.0[1, 2, 20]higher3.8not 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 glossary17.3%[6]not publishednot ranked

The nearest regions across the water[3]

  1. Bicol RegionLuzon6.5 km northwest
  2. Central VisayasVisayas7.5 km southwest
  3. CaragaMindanao15.6 km south
  4. Northern MindanaoMindanao80.7 km south

Measured between the two borders where they come closest, on the Earth's surface, across the water. Not a boat or ferry route.

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: Eastern Visayas (OpenSTAT table 0081A6DTPH7). Published August 5, 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.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
  5. 5.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
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.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
  8. 8.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
  9. 9.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
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.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
  12. 12.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
  13. 13.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
  14. 14.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
  15. 15.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
  16. 16.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
  17. 17.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
  18. 18.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
  19. 19.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
  20. 20.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. “Eastern Visayas.” Scene Atlas. Updated October 2, 2026. https://scene.ph/atlas/eastern-visayas