The Atlas

Municipalities in 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]}

LuzonVisayasMindanao

Municipalities in Visayas, at a glance

Municipalities: 369^[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: 13,505,228^[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: 45,891.79 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Liloan^[4]; Cebu; 158,387 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: 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: 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: 38 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Llorente, −2.99% a year.

Island group: Visayas

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.

369 municipalities, 101 to 150 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Visayas, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
101	Moises PadillaNegros Occidental	44,864	321	139.73 km²	0.76% a year
102	JaroLeyte	44,643	217	205.38 km²	0.48% a year
103	BadianCebu	44,626	418	106.74 km²	0.48% a year
104	PanitanCapiz	44,246	473	93.57 km²	0.93% a year
105	BacongNegros Oriental	43,889	1,093	40.17 km²	1.52% a year
106	LoonBohol	43,857	434	100.98 km²	−0.20% a year
107	Nueva ValenciaGuimaras	43,822	332	131.90 km²	0.58% a year
108	MondragonNorthern Samar	43,116	137	313.58 km²	0.97% a year
109	Ma-AyonCapiz	42,997	230	186.93 km²	1.01% a year
110	VillabaLeyte	42,981	719	59.81 km²	0.07% a year
111	CaluyaAntique	42,895	313	136.90 km²	2.37% a year
112	MadridejosCebu	42,828	1,753	24.43 km²	0.45% a year
113	La LibertadNegros Oriental	42,721	245	174.64 km²	0.94% a year
114	VallehermosoNegros Oriental	42,421	394	107.61 km²	0.95% a year
115	Santa RitaSamar	42,397	116	364.42 km²	0.01% a year
116	TabogonCebu	42,066	469	89.76 km²	0.36% a year
117	DaramSamar	41,932	438	95.81 km²	0.19% a year
118	MambusaoCapiz	41,768	352	118.80 km²	0.63% a year
119	PanglaoBohol	41,760	874	47.78 km²	1.14% a year
120	NabasAklan	41,568	425	97.70 km²	0.55% a year
121	BindoyNegros Oriental	41,543	246	169.09 km²	0.73% a year
122	PamplonaNegros Oriental	41,209	198	208.03 km²	0.83% a year
123	BangaAklan	41,188	630	65.33 km²	0.51% a year
124	SogodCebu	40,746	365	111.78 km²	0.78% a year
125	JordanGuimaras	40,647	354	114.81 km²	0.65% a year
126	LeyteLeyte	40,622	224	181.26 km²	0.13% a year
127	ValladolidNegros Occidental	40,487	1,012	40.02 km²	0.29% a year
128	JamindanCapiz	40,472	106	383.49 km²	1.10% a year
129	BorbonCebu	40,097	459	87.37 km²	1.18% a year
130	PatnongonAntique	40,070	234	171.47 km²	1.07% a year
131	ValenciaNegros Oriental	39,986	202	197.52 km²	0.77% a year
132	AlimodianIloilo	39,814	389	102.45 km²	0.06% a year
133	San DionisioIloilo	39,423	305	129.18 km²	0.23% a year
134	BatoLeyte	39,275	543	72.30 km²	0.48% a year
135	TayasanNegros Oriental	39,005	216	180.84 km²	0.53% a year
136	MaasinIloilo	38,761	217	178.27 km²	0.19% a year
137	MoalboalCebu	37,993	536	70.85 km²	0.68% a year
138	NumanciaAklan	37,428	1,556	24.06 km²	1.14% a year
139	Las NavasNorthern Samar	37,425	98	381.08 km²	0.52% a year
140	San EnriqueIloilo	37,381	321	116.51 km²	0.30% a year
141	PandanAntique	37,325	235	158.56 km²	0.89% a year
142	TrinidadBohol	37,191	264	141.05 km²	1.38% a year
143	GandaraSamar	36,826	115	320.51 km²	1.06% a year
144	DagamiLeyte	36,700	550	66.75 km²	0.34% a year
145	JagnaBohol	36,674	385	95.38 km²	0.56% a year
146	LeganesIloilo	36,542	1,121	32.59 km²	1.23% a year
147	San RemigioAntique	36,170	75	480.31 km²	1.46% a year
148	BugasongAntique	36,060	182	198.23 km²	0.94% a year
149	OrasEastern Samar	35,997	173	207.83 km²	−0.95% a year
150	BarugoLeyte	35,402	374	94.70 km²	0.62% 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.