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, 801 to 850 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
801	LumbanLaguna	32,793	845	38.80 km²	0.34% a year
802	BacarraIlocos Norte	32,734	538	60.86 km²	−0.55% a year
803	Tipo-TipoBasilan	32,734	695	47.07 km²	6.14% a year
804	PantabanganNueva Ecija	32,694	76	429.12 km²	0.70% a year
805	CatubigNorthern Samar	32,688	162	201.45 km²	0.38% a year
806	BayogZamboanga del Sur	32,687	92	354.64 km²	−1.30% a year
807	DoloresQuezon	32,645	464	70.43 km²	0.10% a year
808	SigmaCapiz	32,628	314	103.97 km²	0.70% a year
809	MatalomLeyte	32,604	274	119.16 km²	0.01% a year
810	MogpogMarinduque	32,577	330	98.63 km²	−1.38% a year
811	Pantao RagatLanao del Norte	32,557	599	54.35 km²	1.78% a year
812	MalligIsabela	32,509	273	119.08 km²	0.22% a year
813	IgbarasIloilo	32,442	259	125.29 km²	0.18% a year
814	President RoxasCapiz	32,436	417	77.81 km²	0.88% a year
815	DiplahanZamboanga Sibugay	32,423	254	127.47 km²	−0.12% a year
816	Las NievesAgusan del Norte	32,402	89	365.22 km²	1.67% a year
817	MeridaLeyte	32,373	401	80.76 km²	0.60% a year
818	BugueyCagayan	32,351	202	160.28 km²	0.15% a year
819	CandelariaZambales	32,182	116	278.02 km²	1.49% a year
820	San NarcisoZambales	32,180	368	87.39 km²	1.09% a year
821	Datu Blah T. SinsuatMaguindanao del Norte	32,088	146	219.35 km²	3.11% a year
822	BontocSouthern Leyte	32,082	1,844	17.40 km²	1.79% a year
823	SasmuanPampanga	32,081	711	45.10 km²	2.39% a year
824	CalubianLeyte	31,990	746	42.86 km²	0.26% a year
825	MagsingalIlocos Sur	31,970	366	87.34 km²	0.50% a year
826	PulupandanNegros Occidental	31,942	1,728	18.49 km²	1.42% a year
827	South UbianTawi-Tawi	31,942	768	41.59 km²	1.86% a year
828	MataasnakahoyBatangas	31,912	1,556	20.51 km²	1.00% a year
829	Abra De IlogOccidental Mindoro	31,910	46	700.90 km²	−2.31% a year
830	TubaoLa Union	31,868	643	49.58 km²	0.08% a year
831	KabuntalanMaguindanao del Norte	31,863	314	101.48 km²	5.55% a year
832	DasolPangasinan	31,842	196	162.30 km²	0.37% a year
833	PolilloQuezon	31,737	132	240.52 km²	−0.13% a year
834	AglipayQuirino	31,596	107	296.20 km²	0.68% a year
835	AmpatuanMaguindanao del Sur	31,560	82	383.15 km²	2.10% a year
836	BuenavistaQuezon	31,550	185	170.33 km²	0.30% a year
837	BaukoMountain Province	31,470	184	170.63 km²	−0.42% a year
838	DapaSurigao del Norte	31,392	361	86.86 km²	1.91% a year
839	IguigCagayan	31,342	287	109.39 km²	1.01% a year
840	Rajah BuayanMaguindanao del Sur	31,329	475	65.98 km²	2.88% a year
841	BalabaganLanao del Sur	31,227	291	107.39 km²	1.08% a year
842	Sergio Osmeña Sr.Zamboanga del Norte	31,187	56	557.07 km²	−0.57% a year
843	SalayMisamis Oriental	31,128	429	72.55 km²	0.89% a year
844	BuenavistaBohol	31,095	297	104.66 km²	1.10% a year
845	SumilaoBukidnon	31,094	158	196.95 km²	1.24% a year
846	San MiguelIloilo	31,093	953	32.62 km²	0.77% a year
847	CalintaanOccidental Mindoro	31,088	52	594.94 km²	0.71% a year
848	BalatanCamarines Sur	31,069	507	61.25 km²	0.31% a year
849	Datu PiangMaguindanao del Sur	31,063	596	52.14 km²	2.19% a year
850	Ungkaya PukanBasilan	31,041	394	78.84 km²	6.35% 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.