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, 851 to 900 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
851	ManticaoMisamis Oriental	30,968	269	115.05 km²	1.20% a year
852	DauinNegros Oriental	30,921	273	113.10 km²	0.71% a year
853	DumalagCapiz	30,872	278	111.25 km²	0.61% a year
854	Delfin AlbanoIsabela	30,860	163	189.00 km²	0.74% a year
855	GamuIsabela	30,850	291	105.95 km²	0.15% a year
856	OmarSulu	30,847	270	114.07 km²	2.29% a year
857	Sultan MasturaMaguindanao del Norte	30,828	491	62.75 km²	4.82% a year
858	KumalarangZamboanga del Sur	30,815	204	151.41 km²	1.07% a year
859	San IsidroLeyte	30,792	770	39.98 km²	0.05% a year
860	Benito SolivenIsabela	30,682	155	197.52 km²	0.74% a year
861	BalungaoPangasinan	30,678	429	71.48 km²	0.53% a year
862	Poona PiagapoLanao del Norte	30,666	367	83.50 km²	1.20% a year
863	MakatoAklan	30,650	463	66.26 km²	0.74% a year
864	AnilaoIloilo	30,612	302	101.44 km²	0.07% a year
865	PasuquinIlocos Norte	30,521	153	199.08 km²	0.67% a year
866	PlacerSurigao del Norte	30,442	504	60.41 km²	0.66% a year
867	ZamboanguitaNegros Oriental	30,412	229	132.90 km²	0.68% a year
868	HinunanganSouthern Leyte	30,384	201	151.51 km²	1.00% a year
869	San LuisAurora	30,342	46	665.22 km²	0.41% a year
870	Northern KabuntalanMaguindanao del Norte	30,332	290	104.52 km²	3.50% a year
871	Al-BarkaBasilan	30,318	650	46.61 km²	6.05% a year
872	BaleteAklan	30,310	265	114.59 km²	0.17% a year
873	San LorenzoGuimaras	30,266	288	105.15 km²	0.66% a year
874	BayangLanao del Sur	30,227	1,399	21.61 km²	1.83% a year
875	SiquijorSiquijor	30,215	346	87.43 km²	1.06% a year
876	ParacelisMountain Province	30,143	49	616.29 km²	−0.80% a year
877	CandijayBohol	30,142	287	105.11 km²	0.02% a year
878	CaramoranCatanduanes	30,124	115	262.30 km²	−1.52% a year
879	Hadji MuhtamadBasilan	30,122	501	60.09 km²	2.78% a year
880	Santa MariaIlocos Sur	30,076	476	63.23 km²	0.06% a year
881	Doña Remedios TrinidadBulacan	30,064	32	931.70 km²	1.16% a year
882	MadalumLanao del Sur	30,044	282	106.42 km²	3.08% a year
883	TuburanBasilan	30,027	711	42.23 km²	4.75% a year
884	BasayNegros Oriental	30,018	160	187.38 km²	1.23% a year
885	San RoqueNorthern Samar	29,993	198	151.49 km²	0.09% a year
886	PadadaDavao del Sur	29,888	347	86.03 km²	0.01% a year
887	LavezaresNorthern Samar	29,801	279	106.76 km²	0.33% a year
888	Shariff Saydona MustaphaMaguindanao del Sur	29,707	508	58.46 km²	4.14% a year
889	San ManuelTarlac	29,693	806	36.82 km²	1.08% a year
890	TabuelanCebu	29,662	319	92.89 km²	0.62% a year
891	ImeldaZamboanga Sibugay	29,652	353	84.03 km²	1.50% a year
892	TibiaoAntique	29,608	203	146.17 km²	0.75% a year
893	LicabNueva Ecija	29,590	494	59.91 km²	0.26% a year
894	BabatngonLeyte	29,587	215	137.50 km²	0.63% a year
895	TarakaLanao del Sur	29,558	2,198	13.45 km²	2.03% a year
896	Leon T. PostigoZamboanga del Norte	29,535	112	263.27 km²	1.60% a year
897	San JacintoMasbate	29,458	263	112.12 km²	−0.18% a year
898	GarchitorenaCamarines Sur	29,408	104	283.92 km²	−0.02% a year
899	OslobCebu	29,378	267	109.92 km²	0.09% a year
900	Santo DomingoIlocos Sur	29,372	554	53.01 km²	0.27% 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.