The Atlas

Municipalities in Eastern 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 Eastern Visayas

Municipalities in Eastern Visayas, at a glance

Municipalities: 136^[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: 3,560,662^[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: 18,210.37 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Catarman^[4]; Northern Samar; 97,738 people
Fewest people: Maslog^[4]; Eastern Samar; 5,438 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: Quinapondan^[5]; Eastern Samar; 786.92 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: Bontoc^[5]; Southern Leyte; 1,844 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: Silago^[4]; Southern Leyte; 2.73% 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: 25 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Llorente, −2.99% a year.

Island group: Visayas

Region: Eastern Visayas

Province: 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.

136 municipalities, 51 to 100 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Eastern Visayas, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	MacrohonSouthern Leyte	27,276	362	75.25 km²	0.62% a year
52	BobonNorthern Samar	27,266	320	85.29 km²	1.18% a year
53	Santa MargaritaSamar	27,012	209	129.12 km²	0.17% a year
54	AllenNorthern Samar	26,527	558	47.55 km²	1.21% a year
55	San IsidroNorthern Samar	26,068	134	194.17 km²	−1.59% a year
56	TarangnanSamar	26,013	200	130.27 km²	0.28% a year
57	CaibiranBiliran	24,444	293	83.35 km²	0.27% a year
58	LiloanSouthern Leyte	23,787	468	50.88 km²	−1.00% a year
59	CalbigaSamar	23,309	99	235.60 km²	0.00% a year
60	Santa FeLeyte	22,889	517	44.31 km²	0.84% a year
61	MacarthurLeyte	22,256	590	37.70 km²	0.74% a year
62	TolosaLeyte	22,016	1,014	21.71 km²	1.48% a year
63	Can-AvidEastern Samar	21,942	78	282.61 km²	0.29% a year
64	CabucgayanBiliran	21,923	453	48.41 km²	0.42% a year
65	MalitbogSouthern Leyte	21,691	291	74.52 km²	−1.66% a year
66	InopacanLeyte	21,629	198	109.11 km²	0.27% a year
67	GamayNorthern Samar	21,546	242	89.07 km²	−1.93% a year
68	HindangLeyte	21,520	308	69.89 km²	0.76% a year
69	KawayanBiliran	21,422	372	57.53 km²	1.11% a year
70	SalcedoEastern Samar	21,335	183	116.37 km²	−0.88% a year
71	PastranaLeyte	20,327	375	54.27 km²	1.18% a year
72	San MiguelLeyte	20,322	140	145.11 km²	0.68% a year
73	La PazLeyte	19,797	196	100.84 km²	0.77% a year
74	JiabongSamar	19,482	191	102.20 km²	0.34% a year
75	LlorenteEastern Samar	18,909	25	744.53 km²	−2.99% a year
76	BiliranBiliran	18,721	257	72.94 km²	1.41% a year
77	AlmeriaBiliran	18,716	317	59.09 km²	1.00% a year
78	MayorgaLeyte	18,713	651	28.73 km²	0.84% a year
79	TaftEastern Samar	18,692	90	207.20 km²	−0.12% a year
80	PinabacdaoSamar	18,639	83	224.05 km²	0.66% a year
81	Matag-ObLeyte	18,618	352	52.94 km²	1.47% a year
82	San JoseNorthern Samar	18,301	271	67.62 km²	0.88% a year
83	MarabutSamar	18,168	127	143.54 km²	0.44% a year
84	San JorgeSamar	17,863	66	271.18 km²	0.39% a year
85	Tomas OppusSouthern Leyte	16,846	298	56.60 km²	−0.20% a year
86	ArtecheEastern Samar	16,648	120	138.81 km²	0.42% a year
87	LibagonSouthern Leyte	16,146	164	98.61 km²	1.39% a year
88	VictoriaNorthern Samar	16,085	140	114.64 km²	1.11% a year
89	JulitaLeyte	16,053	507	31.68 km²	0.69% a year
90	ZumarragaSamar	16,051	416	38.56 km²	−0.34% a year
91	MotiongSamar	15,887	141	112.77 km²	0.94% a year
92	Lope De VegaNorthern Samar	15,779	48	329.64 km²	1.73% a year
93	SulatEastern Samar	15,776	93	169.75 km²	0.03% a year
94	San PolicarpoEastern Samar	15,597	237	65.70 km²	0.36% a year
95	Silvino LobosNorthern Samar	15,512	84	183.79 km²	0.65% a year
96	MaydolongEastern Samar	15,456	111	139.50 km²	0.22% a year
97	San JuanSouthern Leyte	15,036	379	39.65 km²	0.20% a year
98	MapanasNorthern Samar	14,858	432	34.37 km²	1.03% a year
99	SilagoSouthern Leyte	14,677	82	179.42 km²	2.73% a year
100	QuinapondanEastern Samar	14,624	19	786.92 km²	0.19% 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.