The Atlas

Municipalities in Mindanao

A municipality is a local government made up of barangays, led by a mayor, a vice mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan, the municipal council.^[1] Only Congress can create one, by law, approved in a plebiscite. The law asks for an income of ₱2.5 million a year, 25,000 people and 50 km² of land.^[1]

A municipality that grows can become a component city by law, once it earns ₱100 million a year and has 100 km² of land or 150,000 people.^{[1, 2]}

LuzonVisayasMindanao

Municipalities in Mindanao, at a glance

Municipalities: 430^[3]
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: 18,216,540^[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 glossary: 99,801.64 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Polomolok^[4]; South Cotabato; 176,671 people
Fewest people: Burgos^[4]; Surigao del Norte; 4,399 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: Loreto^[5]; Agusan del Sur; 1,489.77 km²
Most crowdedPopulation 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: Jolo^[5]; Sulu; 6,711 people per km²
Fastest growing, 10,000 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: Lantawan^[4]; Basilan; 11.45% 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: 58 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Talusan, −10.05% a year.

Island group: Mindanao

Region: All

Sort: Most people

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Each row is a municipality, 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.

430 municipalities, 1 to 50 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
1	PolomolokSouth Cotabato	176,671	516	342.56 km²	0.56% a year
2	Datu Odin SinsuatMaguindanao del Norte	152,907	358	427.49 km²	6.68% a year
3	JoloSulu	152,067	6,711	22.66 km²	2.49% a year
4	BongaoTawi-Tawi	131,887	999	132.08 km²	3.10% a year
5	Santo TomasDavao del Norte	131,100	583	224.79 km²	0.45% a year
6	Sultan KudaratMaguindanao del Norte	124,965	612	204.19 km²	4.23% a year
7	ParangMaguindanao del Norte	123,209	581	212.20 km²	4.41% a year
8	MalitaDavao Occidental	118,438	189	628.26 km²	0.05% a year
9	Manolo FortichBukidnon	118,075	256	460.82 km²	1.02% a year
10	GlanSarangani	117,017	157	747.05 km²	1.59% a year
11	MidsayapCotabato	115,735	671	172.51 km²	−0.33% a year
12	QuezonBukidnon	114,521	189	607.02 km²	1.05% a year
13	MaramagBukidnon	109,864	233	471.66 km²	0.35% a year
14	MalungonSarangani	108,429	157	690.68 km²	0.67% a year
15	TalipaoSulu	107,901	637	169.51 km²	1.82% a year
16	IndananSulu	105,384	936	112.62 km²	3.00% a year
17	T'BoliSouth Cotabato	105,296	115	919.15 km²	0.99% a year
18	Santa CruzDavao del Sur	104,793	360	290.95 km²	0.86% a year
19	SindanganZamboanga del Norte	104,514	195	536.03 km²	0.13% a year
20	IsulanSultan Kudarat	101,455	186	545.87 km²	0.96% a year
21	SiasiSulu	100,076	980	102.16 km²	4.99% a year
22	M'LangCotabato	98,646	237	416.56 km²	0.11% a year
23	MonkayoDavao de Oro	96,405	146	661.96 km²	0.62% a year
24	IpilZamboanga Sibugay	96,363	572	168.46 km²	1.81% a year
25	LebakSultan Kudarat	93,312	162	575.14 km²	0.51% a year
26	PatikulSulu	92,600	608	152.18 km²	3.71% a year
27	BangaSouth Cotabato	91,536	370	247.10 km²	0.63% a year
28	SurallahSouth Cotabato	91,412	307	297.93 km²	0.55% a year
29	PantukanDavao de Oro	91,312	191	476.86 km²	0.14% a year
30	ProsperidadAgusan del Sur	90,162	152	594.88 km²	0.50% a year
31	AlabelSarangani	90,120	176	510.98 km²	0.49% a year
32	CompostelaDavao de Oro	89,224	226	395.01 km²	−0.18% a year
33	MakilalaCotabato	88,522	238	371.22 km²	0.16% a year
34	MacoDavao de Oro	87,680	252	348.23 km²	1.25% a year
35	NabunturanDavao de Oro	85,949	318	270.30 km²	0.45% a year
36	MaimbungSulu	85,681	1,479	57.92 km²	9.10% a year
37	CarmenDavao del Norte	85,423	471	181.52 km²	0.98% a year
38	Lake SebuSouth Cotabato	84,252	98	856.57 km²	0.88% a year
39	PalimbangSultan Kudarat	83,633	91	920.83 km²	−2.47% a year
40	LaakDavao de Oro	83,632	101	831.57 km²	1.15% a year
41	ParangSulu	83,092	1,129	73.63 km²	3.67% a year
42	MalapatanSarangani	82,577	137	600.92 km²	0.54% a year
43	TalakagBukidnon	81,932	102	799.45 km²	1.49% a year
44	MatalamCotabato	81,610	200	407.44 km²	0.08% a year
45	LambayongSultan Kudarat	81,288	376	216.35 km²	0.46% a year
46	KapalongDavao del Norte	80,731	95	850.23 km²	−0.10% a year
47	TagoloanMisamis Oriental	80,424	952	84.51 km²	0.03% a year
48	CarmenCotabato	79,741	170	469.92 km²	0.18% a year
49	San FranciscoAgusan del Sur	79,718	194	409.89 km²	−0.31% a year
50	TupiSouth Cotabato	78,599	195	403.07 km²	1.64% a year

How it fits

Cities and municipalities are the local governments of the towns, each led by a mayor, a vice mayor and a council, and each made up of barangays. A municipality becomes a city by a law of Congress, once it earns enough and has enough people or land.

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. 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.Congress of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 9009: amending Section 450 of the Local Government Code, raising the income a municipality needs to become a component city. Published February 24, 2001. Read by Scene October 3, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
3.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
4.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
5.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

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.