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, 251 to 300 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
251	Rajah BuayanMaguindanao del Sur	31,329	475	65.98 km²	2.88% a year
252	BalabaganLanao del Sur	31,227	291	107.39 km²	1.08% a year
253	Sergio Osmeña Sr.Zamboanga del Norte	31,187	56	557.07 km²	−0.57% a year
254	SalayMisamis Oriental	31,128	429	72.55 km²	0.89% a year
255	SumilaoBukidnon	31,094	158	196.95 km²	1.24% a year
256	Datu PiangMaguindanao del Sur	31,063	596	52.14 km²	2.19% a year
257	Ungkaya PukanBasilan	31,041	394	78.84 km²	6.35% a year
258	ManticaoMisamis Oriental	30,968	269	115.05 km²	1.20% a year
259	OmarSulu	30,847	270	114.07 km²	2.29% a year
260	Sultan MasturaMaguindanao del Norte	30,828	491	62.75 km²	4.82% a year
261	KumalarangZamboanga del Sur	30,815	204	151.41 km²	1.07% a year
262	Poona PiagapoLanao del Norte	30,666	367	83.50 km²	1.20% a year
263	PlacerSurigao del Norte	30,442	504	60.41 km²	0.66% a year
264	Northern KabuntalanMaguindanao del Norte	30,332	290	104.52 km²	3.50% a year
265	Al-BarkaBasilan	30,318	650	46.61 km²	6.05% a year
266	BayangLanao del Sur	30,227	1,399	21.61 km²	1.83% a year
267	Hadji MuhtamadBasilan	30,122	501	60.09 km²	2.78% a year
268	MadalumLanao del Sur	30,044	282	106.42 km²	3.08% a year
269	TuburanBasilan	30,027	711	42.23 km²	4.75% a year
270	PadadaDavao del Sur	29,888	347	86.03 km²	0.01% a year
271	Shariff Saydona MustaphaMaguindanao del Sur	29,707	508	58.46 km²	4.14% a year
272	ImeldaZamboanga Sibugay	29,652	353	84.03 km²	1.50% a year
273	TarakaLanao del Sur	29,558	2,198	13.45 km²	2.03% a year
274	Leon T. PostigoZamboanga del Norte	29,535	112	263.27 km²	1.60% a year
275	JimenezMisamis Occidental	29,265	360	81.32 km²	0.29% a year
276	PandagMaguindanao del Sur	29,244	666	43.89 km²	2.52% a year
277	MapunTawi-Tawi	29,218	401	72.84 km²	−0.66% a year
278	MainitSurigao del Norte	29,205	253	115.23 km²	1.00% a year
279	KapalawanSpecial Geographic Area	29,191	280	104.17 km²	0.61% a year
280	La PazAgusan del Sur	29,096	35	829.45 km²	−1.48% a year
281	TudelaMisamis Occidental	29,082	333	87.34 km²	0.40% a year
282	SaguiaranLanao del Sur	28,807	909	31.68 km²	1.83% a year
283	BubongLanao del Sur	28,733	102	281.16 km²	1.95% a year
284	LapuyanZamboanga del Sur	28,686	187	153.69 km²	0.81% a year
285	MalitbogBukidnon	28,666	107	267.36 km²	1.68% a year
286	TalaingodDavao del Norte	28,665	31	925.81 km²	0.28% a year
287	KolambuganLanao del Norte	28,545	394	72.36 km²	0.24% a year
288	MangudadatuMaguindanao del Sur	28,511	261	109.35 km²	2.05% a year
289	GuindulunganMaguindanao del Sur	28,471	225	126.56 km²	3.23% a year
290	SocorroSurigao del Norte	28,436	225	126.30 km²	2.23% a year
291	Ramon MagsaysayZamboanga del Sur	28,419	292	97.40 km²	0.99% a year
292	PitogoZamboanga del Sur	28,375	372	76.34 km²	0.74% a year
293	LigawasanSpecial Geographic Area	28,322	500	56.59 km²	−1.20% a year
294	AloranMisamis Occidental	28,095	202	139.34 km²	0.14% a year
295	PataSulu	27,974	389	71.97 km²	2.99% a year
296	Jose DalmanZamboanga del Norte	27,951	150	185.93 km²	−0.78% a year
297	Sultan Sa BarongisMaguindanao del Sur	27,929	237	117.62 km²	3.22% a year
298	AkbarBasilan	27,911	548	50.89 km²	4.64% a year
299	LaguindinganMisamis Oriental	27,688	699	39.62 km²	1.18% a year
300	Datu Hoffer AmpatuanMaguindanao del Sur	27,678	375	73.79 km²	0.90% 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.