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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]

Metro ManilaCordillera Administrative RegionIlocos RegionCagayan ValleyCentral LuzonCALABARZONMIMAROPABicol RegionWestern VisayasNegros Island RegionCentral VisayasEastern VisayasZamboanga PeninsulaNorthern MindanaoDavao RegionSOCCSKSARGENCaragaBangsamoro (BARMM)
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

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, 301 to 350 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Visayas, most people
RankNamePeople, 2024People per km²Land areaGrowth, 2020–2024
301Tomas OppusSouthern Leyte16,84629856.60 km²−0.20% a year
302ArtecheEastern Samar16,648120138.81 km²0.42% a year
303BingawanIloilo16,24735246.11 km²0.12% a year
304LezoAklan16,20075521.45 km²0.85% a year
305LibagonSouthern Leyte16,14616498.61 km²1.39% a year
306VictoriaNorthern Samar16,085140114.64 km²1.11% a year
307JulitaLeyte16,05350731.68 km²0.69% a year
308ZumarragaSamar16,05141638.56 km²−0.34% a year
309MotiongSamar15,887141112.77 km²0.94% a year
310Lope De VegaNorthern Samar15,77948329.64 km²1.73% a year
311SulatEastern Samar15,77693169.75 km²0.03% a year
312San PolicarpoEastern Samar15,59723765.70 km²0.36% a year
313Silvino LobosNorthern Samar15,51284183.79 km²0.65% a year
314MaydolongEastern Samar15,456111139.50 km²0.22% a year
315MariaSiquijor15,14626956.30 km²1.24% a year
316San JuanSouthern Leyte15,03637939.65 km²0.20% a year
317LarenaSiquijor14,93336241.23 km²0.78% a year
318DimiaoBohol14,89426057.24 km²0.01% a year
319AntequeraBohol14,88122366.60 km²−0.17% a year
320MapanasNorthern Samar14,85843234.37 km²1.03% a year
321SilagoSouthern Leyte14,67782179.42 km²2.73% a year
322QuinapondanEastern Samar14,62419786.92 km²0.19% a year
323General MacarthurEastern Samar14,606131111.75 km²0.32% a year
324San JulianEastern Samar14,509104139.22 km²−0.48% a year
325BalangigaEastern Samar14,473134108.08 km²0.22% a year
326BelisonAntique14,43371220.26 km²0.51% a year
327BatuanBohol14,42317084.93 km²0.99% a year
328HinabanganSamar13,79134405.02 km²0.17% a year
329CulabaBiliran13,56318573.45 km²1.07% a year
330Santo NiñoSamar13,08844329.53 km²1.07% a year
331LawaanEastern Samar13,06377169.47 km²0.11% a year
332HinundayanSouthern Leyte13,04232040.72 km²1.22% a year
333GiporlosEastern Samar12,97414291.17 km²−0.26% a year
334San FranciscoSouthern Leyte12,89718868.59 km²−0.98% a year
335PilarCebu12,45437333.37 km²−0.10% a year
336TabontabonLeyte12,15750324.18 km²0.51% a year
337CapulNorthern Samar12,12736233.52 km²−0.38% a year
338LapinigNorthern Samar11,90825147.36 km²0.13% a year
339RosarioNorthern Samar11,72616471.33 km²1.66% a year
340TudelaCebu11,63835033.27 km²0.70% a year
341Padre BurgosSouthern Leyte11,51560019.20 km²0.76% a year
342AlburquerqueBohol11,48942627.00 km²0.51% a year
343LilaBohol11,45031536.40 km²−1.59% a year
344SevillaBohol11,42514877.07 km²0.10% a year
345BiriNorthern Samar11,00544324.87 km²−0.58% a year
346PintuyanSouthern Leyte10,93022748.18 km²1.67% a year
347San RicardoSouthern Leyte10,38528636.35 km²−0.26% a year
348San IsidroBohol10,22819153.68 km²0.76% a year
349BalangkayanEastern Samar10,01412182.43 km²−0.41% a year
350CorellaBohol9,88925838.32 km²1.02% 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.

  1. Island groups3Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao: a grouping, not a government
  2. Regions18Big areas that group provinces
  3. Provinces82Each led by a governor
  4. Cities and municipalities1,642Each led by a mayor
  5. Barangays42,010The smallest unit, led by a punong barangay (kapitan)

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.