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

Sort

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, 101 to 150 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
101	Panglima SugalaTawi-Tawi	52,657	266	198.05 km²	2.22% a year
102	MolaveZamboanga del Sur	52,540	189	277.73 km²	−0.27% a year
103	KalamansigSultan Kudarat	52,257	106	495.21 km²	0.63% a year
104	ArakanCotabato	51,584	97	530.44 km²	0.48% a year
105	LibonaBukidnon	51,555	135	380.63 km²	1.24% a year
106	President RoxasCotabato	51,245	128	401.36 km²	−0.58% a year
107	SioconZamboanga del Norte	51,239	161	317.97 km²	1.31% a year
108	RosarioAgusan del Sur	51,207	133	385.05 km²	0.76% a year
109	TrentoAgusan del Sur	51,179	92	556.02 km²	−1.49% a year
110	WaoLanao del Sur	51,081	140	363.88 km²	0.34% a year
111	BunawanAgusan del Sur	50,999	97	524.88 km²	1.71% a year
112	Lumba-BayabaoLanao del Sur	50,959	78	656.96 km²	2.53% a year
113	TubodLanao del Norte	50,395	286	175.97 km²	0.15% a year
114	New BataanDavao de Oro	50,212	91	554.21 km²	−0.59% a year
115	South UpiMaguindanao del Sur	50,018	111	451.41 km²	3.58% a year
116	PagalunganMaguindanao del Sur	49,326	260	189.78 km²	1.54% a year
117	LantawanBasilan	48,777	319	153.14 km²	11.45% a year
118	MahayagZamboanga del Sur	48,695	276	176.69 km²	0.22% a year
119	TantanganSouth Cotabato	48,570	324	149.70 km²	1.45% a year
120	NoralaSouth Cotabato	48,499	258	188.11 km²	0.92% a year
121	DumingagZamboanga del Sur	48,495	125	389.30 km²	−0.19% a year
122	KabasalanZamboanga Sibugay	48,366	154	314.76 km²	0.75% a year
123	BanisilanCotabato	48,013	165	290.20 km²	0.52% a year
124	TungawanZamboanga Sibugay	48,013	108	445.86 km²	0.77% a year
125	Sen. Ninoy AquinoSultan Kudarat	48,003	123	391.43 km²	0.32% a year
126	MontevistaDavao de Oro	46,581	163	285.84 km²	0.01% a year
127	NasipitAgusan del Norte	46,382	123	378.31 km²	0.82% a year
128	MarantaoLanao del Sur	46,233	1,309	35.31 km²	4.97% a year
129	BanaybanayDavao Oriental	46,231	196	235.32 km²	0.95% a year
130	MaitumSarangani	46,120	126	366.48 km²	1.03% a year
131	Don MarcelinoDavao Occidental	45,681	110	414.02 km²	0.07% a year
132	BuldonMaguindanao del Norte	45,676	102	446.08 km²	3.43% a year
133	CateelDavao Oriental	45,623	102	446.05 km²	0.76% a year
134	LabanganZamboanga del Sur	45,343	258	175.75 km²	0.58% a year
135	LuukSulu	44,741	588	76.14 km²	4.08% a year
136	Roseller LimZamboanga Sibugay	44,735	206	217.01 km²	0.63% a year
137	LabasonZamboanga del Norte	44,615	241	185.38 km²	0.37% a year
138	HinatuanSurigao del Sur	44,475	127	350.66 km²	0.34% a year
139	President QuirinoSultan Kudarat	44,344	354	125.13 km²	1.17% a year
140	KalilanganBukidnon	44,108	196	225.42 km²	0.22% a year
141	MabiniDavao de Oro	43,971	97	453.08 km²	0.23% a year
142	LoretoAgusan del Sur	43,761	29	1,489.77 km²	−0.07% a year
143	KibaweBukidnon	43,491	190	228.85 km²	0.90% a year
144	KatipunanZamboanga del Norte	43,427	213	204.08 km²	−0.67% a year
145	BariraMaguindanao del Norte	43,301	167	259.77 km²	4.43% a year
146	SiayZamboanga Sibugay	43,233	153	282.86 km²	1.53% a year
147	VeruelaAgusan del Sur	43,085	98	440.00 km²	1.98% a year
148	Kalingalan CaluangSulu	42,845	578	74.08 km²	1.94% a year
149	TukuranZamboanga del Sur	42,683	321	132.99 km²	0.14% a year
150	VillanuevaMisamis Oriental	42,456	821	51.69 km²	1.19% 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.