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, 151 to 200 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
151	TampakanSouth Cotabato	42,304	150	282.39 km²	0.74% a year
152	NagaZamboanga Sibugay	42,270	203	207.91 km²	0.30% a year
153	PagagawanMaguindanao del Sur	42,181	271	155.51 km²	2.98% a year
154	SitangkaiTawi-Tawi	42,172	1,370	30.79 km²	2.98% a year
155	San MiguelSurigao del Sur	41,942	60	700.59 km²	0.08% a year
156	LiloyZamboanga del Norte	41,881	330	126.90 km²	−0.19% a year
157	MambajaoCamiguin	41,782	678	61.67 km²	0.40% a year
158	LanguyanTawi-Tawi	41,587	111	373.37 km²	2.78% a year
159	PangutaranSulu	41,575	136	306.48 km²	3.26% a year
160	TagbinaSurigao del Sur	41,157	77	535.53 km²	0.06% a year
161	MatanogMaguindanao del Norte	41,146	204	201.58 km²	3.23% a year
162	MawabDavao de Oro	41,050	283	145.30 km²	0.85% a year
163	Santo NiñoSouth Cotabato	41,026	483	85.01 km²	0.73% a year
164	SiayanZamboanga del Norte	40,937	83	494.75 km²	2.97% a year
165	PiagapoLanao del Sur	40,558	244	166.29 km²	7.39% a year
166	PolancoZamboanga del Norte	40,485	189	214.11 km²	−1.03% a year
167	PlaridelMisamis Occidental	40,321	511	78.96 km²	0.29% a year
168	MalalagDavao del Sur	40,280	189	212.77 km²	0.07% a year
169	SulopDavao del Sur	40,134	249	161.02 km²	3.23% a year
170	TagoSurigao del Sur	40,097	104	386.51 km²	0.16% a year
171	BalindongLanao del Sur	40,047	874	45.83 km²	5.08% a year
172	ClaverSurigao del Norte	39,882	130	307.90 km²	2.46% a year
173	ClarinMisamis Occidental	39,867	472	84.50 km²	0.31% a year
174	SirawaiZamboanga del Norte	39,836	131	304.00 km²	6.07% a year
175	CaragaDavao Oriental	39,630	50	800.15 km²	−0.04% a year
176	AliciaZamboanga Sibugay	39,484	216	183.08 km²	0.02% a year
177	ManayDavao Oriental	39,271	65	605.98 km²	−0.18% a year
178	TongkilSulu	39,202	255	153.65 km²	2.33% a year
179	TalayanMaguindanao del Sur	39,182	309	126.91 km²	3.35% a year
180	BaungonBukidnon	39,151	197	198.81 km²	1.29% a year
181	Tabuan-LasaBasilan	38,964	881	44.22 km²	7.05% a year
182	BuugZamboanga Sibugay	38,730	266	145.76 km²	0.19% a year
183	Pres. Manuel A. RoxasZamboanga del Norte	38,649	161	239.88 km²	−0.34% a year
184	DamulogBukidnon	38,564	248	155.28 km²	−0.47% a year
185	Datu PaglasMaguindanao del Sur	38,446	336	114.42 km²	3.22% a year
186	CabanglasanBukidnon	38,365	158	243.30 km²	1.35% a year
187	SibutuTawi-Tawi	38,070	333	114.34 km²	2.57% a year
188	AleosanCotabato	38,023	222	171.31 km²	0.73% a year
189	SibucoZamboanga del Norte	37,883	55	684.67 km²	1.20% a year
190	TalacogonAgusan del Sur	37,744	48	780.49 km²	−1.19% a year
191	GutalacZamboanga del Norte	37,512	88	426.43 km²	0.93% a year
192	Shariff AguakMaguindanao del Sur	37,437	969	38.63 km²	2.35% a year
193	TambuligZamboanga del Sur	37,400	265	141.33 km²	−0.05% a year
194	MaguingLanao del Sur	37,292	93	399.16 km²	4.99% a year
195	TamparanLanao del Sur	37,190	4,355	8.54 km²	3.61% a year
196	Panglima EstinoSulu	37,157	868	42.83 km²	1.97% a year
197	Sapa-SapaTawi-Tawi	37,129	282	131.75 km²	2.44% a year
198	MagsaysayMisamis Oriental	37,084	255	145.27 km²	0.18% a year
199	MasiuLanao del Sur	36,803	1,034	35.59 km²	2.22% a year
200	MedinaMisamis Oriental	36,692	290	126.52 km²	0.72% 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.