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, 651 to 700 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
651	MaasinIloilo	38,761	217	178.27 km²	0.19% a year
652	BuugZamboanga Sibugay	38,730	266	145.76 km²	0.19% a year
653	Pres. Manuel A. RoxasZamboanga del Norte	38,649	161	239.88 km²	−0.34% a year
654	MankayanBenguet	38,647	222	173.88 km²	0.90% a year
655	SualPangasinan	38,625	301	128.51 km²	−0.29% a year
656	San AntonioZambales	38,617	225	171.77 km²	0.74% a year
657	DamulogBukidnon	38,564	248	155.28 km²	−0.47% a year
658	PamplonaCamarines Sur	38,556	481	80.18 km²	−0.48% a year
659	Datu PaglasMaguindanao del Sur	38,446	336	114.42 km²	3.22% a year
660	San AndresQuezon	38,407	186	206.49 km²	0.60% a year
661	CabanglasanBukidnon	38,365	158	243.30 km²	1.35% a year
662	MapandanPangasinan	38,228	1,820	21.00 km²	0.11% a year
663	BangarLa Union	38,190	1,018	37.53 km²	0.09% a year
664	LunaLa Union	38,076	888	42.90 km²	0.48% a year
665	MagallanesSorsogon	38,072	349	109.22 km²	0.42% a year
666	SibutuTawi-Tawi	38,070	333	114.34 km²	2.57% a year
667	AleosanCotabato	38,023	222	171.31 km²	0.73% a year
668	MoalboalCebu	37,993	536	70.85 km²	0.68% a year
669	SibucoZamboanga del Norte	37,883	55	684.67 km²	1.20% a year
670	BasistaPangasinan	37,840	1,410	26.83 km²	0.10% a year
671	TalacogonAgusan del Sur	37,744	48	780.49 km²	−1.19% a year
672	Santo DomingoAlbay	37,586	735	51.17 km²	−0.11% a year
673	GutalacZamboanga del Norte	37,512	88	426.43 km²	0.93% a year
674	Shariff AguakMaguindanao del Sur	37,437	969	38.63 km²	2.35% a year
675	NumanciaAklan	37,428	1,556	24.06 km²	1.14% a year
676	Las NavasNorthern Samar	37,425	98	381.08 km²	0.52% a year
677	TambuligZamboanga del Sur	37,400	265	141.33 km²	−0.05% a year
678	San EnriqueIloilo	37,381	321	116.51 km²	0.30% a year
679	PandanAntique	37,325	235	158.56 km²	0.89% a year
680	MaguingLanao del Sur	37,292	93	399.16 km²	4.99% a year
681	AuroraIsabela	37,191	509	73.04 km²	0.37% a year
682	TrinidadBohol	37,191	264	141.05 km²	1.38% a year
683	TamparanLanao del Sur	37,190	4,355	8.54 km²	3.61% a year
684	Panglima EstinoSulu	37,157	868	42.83 km²	1.97% a year
685	San AndresCatanduanes	37,157	219	169.98 km²	−0.84% a year
686	Sapa-SapaTawi-Tawi	37,129	282	131.75 km²	2.44% a year
687	BantayIlocos Sur	37,088	518	71.63 km²	−0.02% a year
688	SagñayCamarines Sur	37,087	319	116.36 km²	0.16% a year
689	MagsaysayMisamis Oriental	37,084	255	145.27 km²	0.18% a year
690	MorongBataan	37,024	151	245.50 km²	1.09% a year
691	San LuisBatangas	36,841	1,077	34.21 km²	0.44% a year
692	GandaraSamar	36,826	115	320.51 km²	1.06% a year
693	MasiuLanao del Sur	36,803	1,034	35.59 km²	2.22% a year
694	DagamiLeyte	36,700	550	66.75 km²	0.34% a year
695	MedinaMisamis Oriental	36,692	290	126.52 km²	0.72% a year
696	JagnaBohol	36,674	385	95.38 km²	0.56% a year
697	LeganesIloilo	36,542	1,121	32.59 km²	1.23% a year
698	MendezCavite	36,518	2,664	13.71 km²	1.11% a year
699	EnrileCagayan	36,481	219	166.60 km²	−0.15% a year
700	CasiguranSorsogon	36,464	425	85.88 km²	0.58% 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.