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, 751 to 800 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
751	Santa AnaCagayan	34,595	78	440.81 km²	−0.74% a year
752	BallesterosCagayan	34,562	284	121.54 km²	0.05% a year
753	DaoCapiz	34,555	398	86.81 km²	0.50% a year
754	LaoacPangasinan	34,550	880	39.25 km²	0.30% a year
755	NaguilianIsabela	34,520	203	169.81 km²	0.52% a year
756	Santa MariaPangasinan	34,452	685	50.31 km²	0.16% a year
757	InitaoMisamis Oriental	34,445	340	101.33 km²	0.38% a year
758	Tobias FornierAntique	34,411	301	114.19 km²	0.42% a year
759	CapoocanLeyte	34,388	238	144.79 km²	0.47% a year
760	San QuintinPangasinan	34,322	339	101.18 km²	0.24% a year
761	CantilanSurigao del Sur	34,233	202	169.84 km²	0.12% a year
762	LiangaSurigao del Sur	34,213	131	261.07 km²	0.24% a year
763	DumalinaoZamboanga del Sur	34,188	291	117.64 km²	0.90% a year
764	PambujanNorthern Samar	34,174	200	170.62 km²	−0.93% a year
765	OlutangaZamboanga Sibugay	34,124	532	64.14 km²	−2.81% a year
766	Santa MariaLaguna	34,102	362	94.31 km²	−0.29% a year
767	MayantocTarlac	34,091	133	255.90 km²	1.08% a year
768	SalvadorLanao del Norte	34,053	344	98.99 km²	1.42% a year
769	BatanAklan	33,932	385	88.04 km²	0.32% a year
770	GanassiLanao del Sur	33,897	1,456	23.28 km²	2.32% a year
771	TabangoLeyte	33,888	893	37.93 km²	0.01% a year
772	SantiagoAgusan del Norte	33,877	116	291.16 km²	4.09% a year
773	BanateIloilo	33,790	461	73.26 km²	0.30% a year
774	San VicentePalawan	33,768	53	634.13 km²	0.19% a year
775	TugunanSpecial Geographic Area	33,721	615	54.79 km²	0.40% a year
776	Gen. S.K. PendatunMaguindanao del Sur	33,710	118	286.72 km²	1.82% a year
777	MilaorCamarines Sur	33,680	1,010	33.34 km²	−0.20% a year
778	DipaculaoAurora	33,597	57	584.84 km²	0.34% a year
779	MarogongLanao del Sur	33,595	185	181.28 km²	2.65% a year
780	GetafeBohol	33,485	349	95.83 km²	0.05% a year
781	LupiCamarines Sur	33,474	191	175.32 km²	−0.30% a year
782	Datu Saudi AmpatuanMaguindanao del Sur	33,374	560	59.61 km²	1.74% a year
783	ColumbioSultan Kudarat	33,337	37	911.67 km²	−0.14% a year
784	Poona BayabaoLanao del Sur	33,307	1,686	19.76 km²	1.63% a year
785	SibagatAgusan del Sur	33,271	59	567.81 km²	−0.49% a year
786	MalangasZamboanga Sibugay	33,194	275	120.61 km²	0.87% a year
787	DimatalingZamboanga del Sur	33,156	292	113.44 km²	1.36% a year
788	PayaoZamboanga Sibugay	33,156	172	192.33 km²	0.04% a year
789	SalugZamboanga del Norte	33,060	233	141.88 km²	0.68% a year
790	PeñarandaNueva Ecija	33,043	417	79.32 km²	0.57% a year
791	CalapeBohol	33,022	391	84.55 km²	−0.04% a year
792	ClaveriaCagayan	32,997	211	156.63 km²	0.81% a year
793	JimalaludNegros Oriental	32,996	229	144.04 km²	0.55% a year
794	IvisanCapiz	32,853	554	59.30 km²	1.19% a year
795	LemeryIloilo	32,836	239	137.61 km²	1.07% a year
796	BadocIlocos Norte	32,832	407	80.75 km²	0.22% a year
797	MamasapanoMaguindanao del Sur	32,831	699	47.00 km²	4.06% a year
798	Hadji Mohammad AjulBasilan	32,806	569	57.65 km²	7.12% a year
799	CapalongaCamarines Norte	32,800	128	256.94 km²	−2.35% a year
800	BagacBataan	32,799	146	225.32 km²	1.08% 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.