The Atlas

Municipalities in Central Visayas

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]}

Open Central Visayas

Municipalities in Central Visayas, at a glance

Municipalities: 91^[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: 3,706,075^[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: 7,869.66 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Liloan^[4]; Cebu; 158,387 people
Fewest people: Sikatuna^[4]; Bohol; 7,031 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: Ubay^[5]; Bohol; 264.01 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: Cordova^[5]; Cebu; 7,627 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: Trinidad^[4]; Bohol; 1.38% 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: 11 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Lila, −1.59% a year.

Island group: Visayas

Region: Central Visayas

Province: 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.

91 municipalities, 51 to 91 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Central Visayas, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	PoroCebu	26,908	401	67.09 km²	0.61% a year
52	AlegriaCebu	26,520	321	82.54 km²	0.83% a year
53	Bien UnidoBohol	26,278	1,031	25.50 km²	−0.35% a year
54	Sierra BullonesBohol	26,154	251	104.33 km²	0.05% a year
55	San MiguelBohol	26,124	200	130.62 km²	0.72% a year
56	SagbayanBohol	25,329	391	64.72 km²	0.96% a year
57	AliciaBohol	24,663	265	93.12 km²	0.28% a year
58	Garcia HernandezBohol	24,450	289	84.66 km²	0.02% a year
59	President Carlos P. GarciaBohol	23,858	511	46.67 km²	0.24% a year
60	CatigbianBohol	23,812	303	78.48 km²	0.01% a year
61	BaclayonBohol	22,754	641	35.52 km²	0.31% a year
62	MaribojocBohol	22,268	320	69.56 km²	0.10% a year
63	ClarinBohol	21,318	461	46.28 km²	0.18% a year
64	RondaCebu	21,179	442	47.87 km²	0.20% a year
65	SamboanCebu	20,736	396	52.40 km²	0.42% a year
66	MalabuyocCebu	20,378	308	66.06 km²	0.73% a year
67	DanaoBohol	20,299	98	206.14 km²	0.06% a year
68	DagohoyBohol	20,068	216	92.96 km²	0.23% a year
69	BalilihanBohol	19,747	113	175.28 km²	1.32% a year
70	AlcoyCebu	19,207	325	59.16 km²	0.03% a year
71	DueroBohol	19,136	358	53.46 km²	0.35% a year
72	CortesBohol	18,976	570	33.31 km²	0.82% a year
73	BilarBohol	18,877	147	128.31 km²	0.47% a year
74	SantanderCebu	18,669	643	29.05 km²	0.18% a year
75	LoayBohol	17,957	516	34.79 km²	0.14% a year
76	AndaBohol	17,835	269	66.41 km²	0.08% a year
77	AlcantaraCebu	17,490	677	25.84 km²	0.81% a year
78	LobocBohol	17,338	203	85.41 km²	−0.11% a year
79	GinatilanCebu	17,184	353	48.74 km²	0.39% a year
80	BoljoonCebu	17,153	178	96.60 km²	−0.51% a year
81	DimiaoBohol	14,894	260	57.24 km²	0.01% a year
82	AntequeraBohol	14,881	223	66.60 km²	−0.17% a year
83	BatuanBohol	14,423	170	84.93 km²	0.99% a year
84	PilarCebu	12,454	373	33.37 km²	−0.10% a year
85	TudelaCebu	11,638	350	33.27 km²	0.70% a year
86	AlburquerqueBohol	11,489	426	27.00 km²	0.51% a year
87	LilaBohol	11,450	315	36.40 km²	−1.59% a year
88	SevillaBohol	11,425	148	77.07 km²	0.10% a year
89	San IsidroBohol	10,228	191	53.68 km²	0.76% a year
90	CorellaBohol	9,889	258	38.32 km²	1.02% a year
91	SikatunaBohol	7,031	190	36.95 km²	0.43% 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.