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, 51 to 100 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	KabacanCotabato	77,945	373	208.89 km²	0.24% a year
52	BalingasagMisamis Oriental	76,877	503	152.81 km²	0.79% a year
53	LalaLanao del Norte	75,015	555	135.11 km²	0.52% a year
54	BaloiLanao del Norte	74,003	698	106.03 km²	1.88% a year
55	EsperanzaSultan Kudarat	73,822	187	394.56 km²	−0.28% a year
56	Don CarlosBukidnon	73,592	336	219.22 km²	1.46% a year
57	KapataganLanao del Norte	72,762	290	250.67 km²	3.68% a year
58	Jose Abad SantosDavao Occidental	72,552	105	691.18 km²	−0.27% a year
59	AlamadaCotabato	71,523	90	792.04 km²	0.98% a year
60	BuenavistaAgusan del Norte	70,691	149	475.61 km²	0.62% a year
61	BagumbayanSultan Kudarat	69,830	102	686.07 km²	0.31% a year
62	LantapanBukidnon	68,777	209	328.37 km²	1.00% a year
63	KiambaSarangani	68,745	154	446.38 km²	1.07% a year
64	LuponDavao Oriental	68,717	120	573.51 km²	0.62% a year
65	MaasimSarangani	67,907	136	500.43 km²	1.08% a year
66	MaragusanDavao de Oro	67,759	81	835.50 km²	1.22% a year
67	PikitCotabato	67,220	391	171.74 km²	0.07% a year
68	OpolMisamis Oriental	66,836	291	230.02 km²	0.18% a year
69	MalusoBasilan	66,817	578	115.62 km²	9.52% a year
70	Sultan Naga DimaporoLanao del Norte	65,656	284	230.99 km²	1.82% a year
71	San FernandoBukidnon	65,494	86	763.55 km²	0.92% a year
72	LutayanSultan Kudarat	65,425	239	273.42 km²	−0.08% a year
73	UpiMaguindanao del Norte	65,363	123	532.30 km²	2.48% a year
74	BansalanDavao del Sur	64,816	273	237.25 km²	0.78% a year
75	Governor GenerosoDavao Oriental	63,695	168	378.55 km²	1.49% a year
76	AsuncionDavao del Norte	62,929	236	266.22 km²	0.40% a year
77	MatanaoDavao del Sur	62,773	243	258.65 km²	0.89% a year
78	TulunanCotabato	61,901	157	393.49 km²	0.36% a year
79	BuluanMaguindanao del Sur	60,931	1,128	54.03 km²	1.44% a year
80	New CorellaDavao del Norte	60,454	242	250.13 km²	1.04% a year
81	PangantucanBukidnon	60,162	134	449.74 km²	1.48% a year
82	BagangaDavao Oriental	59,796	64	939.57 km²	0.44% a year
83	EsperanzaAgusan del Sur	59,065	44	1,357.78 km²	−0.12% a year
84	Santa MariaDavao Occidental	58,886	258	228.66 km²	0.56% a year
85	HagonoyDavao del Sur	58,689	494	118.92 km²	0.74% a year
86	MalabangLanao del Sur	58,377	707	82.55 km²	4.24% a year
87	JasaanMisamis Oriental	58,098	755	76.93 km²	0.44% a year
88	MagsaysayDavao del Sur	57,936	294	196.82 km²	0.71% a year
89	LibunganCotabato	57,776	302	191.57 km²	0.64% a year
90	KitaotaoBukidnon	57,364	203	282.23 km²	1.55% a year
91	Impasug-ongBukidnon	55,901	79	708.47 km²	0.89% a year
92	SumisipBasilan	55,778	210	266.05 km²	4.01% a year
93	TitayZamboanga Sibugay	55,534	160	346.82 km²	0.68% a year
94	MagpetCotabato	55,255	108	513.39 km²	0.64% a year
95	Old PanamaoSulu	53,903	699	77.11 km²	1.89% a year
96	KiblawanDavao del Sur	53,757	147	364.70 km²	2.06% a year
97	BaroboSurigao del Sur	53,729	226	237.76 km²	0.26% a year
98	PigkawayanCotabato	53,593	270	198.19 km²	0.38% a year
99	AuroraZamboanga del Sur	52,746	330	159.67 km²	−0.11% a year
100	ClaveriaMisamis Oriental	52,718	80	662.66 km²	0.11% 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.