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, 51 to 100 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	CandabaPampanga	124,019	602	205.98 km²	0.89% a year
52	KawitCavite	123,631	6,647	18.60 km²	3.40% a year
53	ParangMaguindanao del Norte	123,209	581	212.20 km²	4.41% a year
54	San IldefonsoBulacan	123,140	718	171.54 km²	1.50% a year
55	CalumpitBulacan	122,187	2,563	47.67 km²	0.74% a year
56	ApalitPampanga	121,057	1,887	64.17 km²	0.79% a year
57	PlaridelBulacan	120,939	3,311	36.53 km²	1.34% a year
58	MalitaDavao Occidental	118,438	189	628.26 km²	0.05% a year
59	GuiguintoBulacan	118,173	5,350	22.09 km²	0.99% a year
60	Manolo FortichBukidnon	118,075	256	460.82 km²	1.02% a year
61	Los BañosLaguna	117,030	2,542	46.03 km²	0.35% a year
62	GlanSarangani	117,017	157	747.05 km²	1.59% a year
63	SubicZambales	116,788	453	258.00 km²	1.03% a year
64	MidsayapCotabato	115,735	671	172.51 km²	−0.33% a year
65	San JuanBatangas	115,118	421	273.40 km²	0.22% a year
66	QuezonBukidnon	114,521	189	607.02 km²	1.05% a year
67	MangaldanPangasinan	113,302	2,370	47.80 km²	0.02% a year
68	LibmananCamarines Sur	113,254	309	367.11 km²	0.06% a year
69	RosarioCavite	112,572	14,563	7.73 km²	0.38% a year
70	PulilanBulacan	111,384	2,784	40.01 km²	0.56% a year
71	CauayanNegros Occidental	110,899	226	490.22 km²	0.53% a year
72	MaramagBukidnon	109,864	233	471.66 km²	0.35% a year
73	NaujanOriental Mindoro	109,122	216	505.70 km²	−0.10% a year
74	LingayenPangasinan	108,510	1,717	63.20 km²	0.17% a year
75	MalungonSarangani	108,429	157	690.68 km²	0.67% a year
76	LaboCamarines Norte	108,319	168	646.45 km²	−0.20% a year
77	San RafaelBulacan	108,256	1,032	104.87 km²	1.18% a year
78	TalipaoSulu	107,901	637	169.51 km²	1.82% a year
79	TiaongQuezon	107,666	941	114.39 km²	0.31% a year
80	BulanSorsogon	106,919	513	208.25 km²	0.39% a year
81	DaetCamarines Norte	106,465	2,025	52.57 km²	−1.14% a year
82	PaniquiTarlac	106,190	981	108.20 km²	0.73% a year
83	IndananSulu	105,384	936	112.62 km²	3.00% a year
84	T'BoliSouth Cotabato	105,296	115	919.15 km²	0.99% a year
85	Santa CruzDavao del Sur	104,793	360	290.95 km²	0.86% a year
86	SindanganZamboanga del Norte	104,514	195	536.03 km²	0.13% a year
87	PiliCamarines Sur	101,668	716	142.05 km²	0.59% a year
88	IsulanSultan Kudarat	101,455	186	545.87 km²	0.96% a year
89	CalasiaoPangasinan	100,686	2,067	48.70 km²	0.05% a year
90	SiasiSulu	100,076	980	102.16 km²	4.99% a year
91	OtonIloilo	99,920	1,167	85.59 km²	0.34% a year
92	M'LangCotabato	98,646	237	416.56 km²	0.11% a year
93	BalambanCebu	98,170	454	216.45 km²	0.76% a year
94	GeronaTarlac	97,937	802	122.08 km²	0.86% a year
95	CatarmanNorthern Samar	97,738	431	226.96 km²	−0.03% a year
96	BalayanBatangas	96,939	931	104.17 km²	0.26% a year
97	MonkayoDavao de Oro	96,405	146	661.96 km²	0.62% a year
98	IpilZamboanga Sibugay	96,363	572	168.46 km²	1.81% a year
99	LopezQuezon	96,006	274	350.05 km²	0.34% a year
100	DaanbantayanCebu	95,080	1,019	93.27 km²	0.40% 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.