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, 351 to 400 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Mindanao, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
351	TapulSulu	21,830	243	89.93 km²	1.17% a year
352	KapaiLanao del Sur	21,630	235	92.16 km²	1.20% a year
353	LumbayanagueLanao del Sur	21,469	1,089	19.72 km²	2.86% a year
354	LinamonLanao del Norte	21,385	923	23.17 km²	0.13% a year
355	PaglatMaguindanao del Sur	21,317	572	37.30 km²	3.16% a year
356	Datu SaliboMaguindanao del Sur	21,295	485	43.94 km²	3.04% a year
357	Sapang DalagaMisamis Occidental	21,006	191	110.12 km²	0.60% a year
358	LugaitMisamis Oriental	20,946	681	30.76 km²	0.45% a year
359	Del CarmenSurigao del Norte	20,786	139	149.53 km²	0.78% a year
360	MagsaysayLanao del Norte	20,581	202	101.68 km²	0.14% a year
361	SinacabanMisamis Occidental	20,176	175	115.23 km²	0.61% a year
362	San MiguelZamboanga del Sur	20,037	233	86.08 km²	0.24% a year
363	TalitayMaguindanao del Norte	19,750	458	43.14 km²	3.00% a year
364	MarihatagSurigao del Sur	19,730	56	352.66 km²	0.35% a year
365	TigbaoZamboanga del Sur	19,716	144	137.18 km²	−2.25% a year
366	MalimonoSurigao del Norte	19,442	240	80.88 km²	0.74% a year
367	PicongLanao del Sur	19,296	178	108.25 km²	0.49% a year
368	GitagumMisamis Oriental	19,269	490	39.33 km²	1.76% a year
369	PahamuddinSpecial Geographic Area	19,262	308	62.54 km²	−0.45% a year
370	PiñanZamboanga del Norte	19,184	115	167.11 km²	−1.25% a year
371	NununganLanao del Norte	19,036	69	277.86 km²	0.27% a year
372	CagdianaoDinagat Islands	18,679	97	191.95 km²	0.43% a year
373	BaliangaoMisamis Occidental	18,500	315	58.82 km²	0.09% a year
374	SibutadZamboanga del Norte	18,199	278	65.57 km²	1.01% a year
375	CatarmanCamiguin	18,186	320	56.87 km²	0.83% a year
376	Tagana-AnSurigao del Norte	18,158	249	72.95 km²	1.14% a year
377	LibjoDinagat Islands	18,157	101	179.31 km²	0.14% a year
378	GododZamboanga del Norte	18,040	71	254.37 km²	0.72% a year
379	CortesSurigao del Sur	18,023	138	130.60 km²	0.13% a year
380	PualasLanao del Sur	18,020	420	42.86 km²	5.30% a year
381	TalusanZamboanga Sibugay	17,925	356	50.32 km²	−10.05% a year
382	AlegriaSurigao del Norte	17,846	273	65.28 km²	2.37% a year
383	CalanogasLanao del Sur	17,585	245	71.84 km²	3.91% a year
384	TubaranLanao del Sur	17,567	254	69.11 km²	0.94% a year
385	Remedios T. RomualdezAgusan del Norte	17,250	175	98.79 km²	0.13% a year
386	SominotZamboanga del Sur	17,247	146	118.49 km²	−2.37% a year
387	TangcalLanao del Norte	17,247	150	115.23 km²	1.70% a year
388	Datu UnsayMaguindanao del Sur	17,186	238	72.27 km²	7.14% a year
389	BacuagSurigao del Norte	17,076	214	79.62 km²	3.35% a year
390	MadridSurigao del Sur	16,872	137	122.79 km²	0.31% a year
391	TubodSurigao del Norte	16,675	353	47.24 km²	2.50% a year
392	MatungaoLanao del Norte	16,404	466	35.23 km²	2.57% a year
393	TagoloanLanao del Norte	16,204	232	69.70 km²	1.72% a year
394	Old KaabakanSpecial Geographic Area	16,181	145	111.21 km²	−0.69% a year
395	San FranciscoSurigao del Norte	16,004	275	58.17 km²	1.01% a year
396	KinoguitanMisamis Oriental	15,763	374	42.20 km²	2.73% a year
397	PagayawanLanao del Sur	15,659	315	49.72 km²	0.94% a year
398	RizalZamboanga del Norte	15,347	205	74.89 km²	0.47% a year
399	BostonDavao Oriental	15,074	33	462.07 km²	0.74% a year
400	MahinogCamiguin	14,905	414	36.04 km²	0.44% 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.