The Atlas

Municipalities

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]}

Map of the Philippines, every municipality in a colour of its own — Every municipality in a colour of its own, no two side by side alike.

At a glance

Municipalities: 1,493^[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: 66,090,986^[4]; About 59 of every 100 people in the country live in a municipality.
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: 285,167.45 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Rodriguez^[4]; Rizal; 451,383 people
Fewest people: Kalayaan^[4]; Palawan; 406 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: Sablayan^[5]; Occidental Mindoro; 2,640.39 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: Pateros^[5]; Metro Manila; 26,400 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: 257 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Talusan, −10.05% a year.

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.

1,493 municipalities, 451 to 500 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
451	New WashingtonAklan	49,204	737	66.74 km²	0.62% a year
452	InabangaBohol	49,133	419	117.18 km²	0.29% a year
453	SogodSouthern Leyte	48,815	223	219.20 km²	0.63% a year
454	PilarCapiz	48,789	396	123.14 km²	0.85% a year
455	LantawanBasilan	48,777	319	153.14 km²	11.45% a year
456	Pio DuranAlbay	48,713	341	142.91 km²	−0.17% a year
457	MahayagZamboanga del Sur	48,695	276	176.69 km²	0.22% a year
458	TantanganSouth Cotabato	48,570	324	149.70 km²	1.45% a year
459	NoralaSouth Cotabato	48,499	258	188.11 km²	0.92% a year
460	DumingagZamboanga del Sur	48,495	125	389.30 km²	−0.19% a year
461	Lal-LoCagayan	48,404	68	715.80 km²	−0.16% a year
462	KabasalanZamboanga Sibugay	48,366	154	314.76 km²	0.75% a year
463	BanguedAbra	48,331	354	136.40 km²	−0.99% a year
464	OdionganRomblon	48,133	335	143.64 km²	−0.57% a year
465	BanisilanCotabato	48,013	165	290.20 km²	0.52% a year
466	TungawanZamboanga Sibugay	48,013	108	445.86 km²	0.77% a year
467	Sen. Ninoy AquinoSultan Kudarat	48,003	123	391.43 km²	0.32% a year
468	AlbueraLeyte	47,333	674	70.20 km²	0.09% a year
469	TuyBatangas	47,199	523	90.23 km²	0.35% a year
470	LupaoNueva Ecija	47,175	391	120.78 km²	0.65% a year
471	PilarBataan	47,107	1,042	45.21 km²	0.45% a year
472	IsabelLeyte	46,858	732	64.02 km²	0.04% a year
473	KasibuNueva Vizcaya	46,845	65	722.52 km²	2.78% a year
474	CordonIsabela	46,688	199	234.71 km²	0.11% a year
475	MontevistaDavao de Oro	46,581	163	285.84 km²	0.01% a year
476	TalisayBatangas	46,477	935	49.73 km²	0.12% a year
477	ManjuyodNegros Oriental	46,461	356	130.57 km²	0.88% a year
478	CulasiAntique	46,442	204	227.77 km²	1.03% a year
479	BulalacaoOriental Mindoro	46,439	129	359.26 km²	1.10% a year
480	NasipitAgusan del Norte	46,382	123	378.31 km²	0.82% a year
481	NarvacanIlocos Sur	46,265	373	123.97 km²	0.02% a year
482	MarantaoLanao del Sur	46,233	1,309	35.31 km²	4.97% a year
483	BanaybanayDavao Oriental	46,231	196	235.32 km²	0.95% a year
484	NoveletaCavite	46,172	7,988	5.78 km²	−1.63% a year
485	JonesIsabela	46,160	69	670.14 km²	0.28% a year
486	MaitumSarangani	46,120	126	366.48 km²	1.03% a year
487	DingleIloilo	46,032	439	104.97 km²	0.03% a year
488	Maria AuroraAurora	45,972	112	409.73 km²	0.54% a year
489	AngadananIsabela	45,970	226	203.63 km²	0.53% a year
490	ConcepcionIloilo	45,737	578	79.13 km²	0.59% a year
491	BuguiasBenguet	45,703	255	179.56 km²	0.44% a year
492	Don MarcelinoDavao Occidental	45,681	110	414.02 km²	0.07% a year
493	BuldonMaguindanao del Norte	45,676	102	446.08 km²	3.43% a year
494	CateelDavao Oriental	45,623	102	446.05 km²	0.76% a year
495	PagsanjanLaguna	45,602	1,664	27.40 km²	0.68% a year
496	TayugPangasinan	45,476	976	46.61 km²	0.12% a year
497	GuinayanganQuezon	45,375	212	214.12 km²	0.72% a year
498	AguilarPangasinan	45,363	233	194.74 km²	0.14% a year
499	LabanganZamboanga del Sur	45,343	258	175.75 km²	0.58% a year
500	DoloresEastern Samar	45,314	140	322.61 km²	0.37% 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.