The Atlas

Municipalities in Bicol Region

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]}

Open Bicol Region

Municipalities in Bicol Region, at a glance

Municipalities: 107^[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: 4,975,720^[4]
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: 16,778.44 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Daraga^[4]; Albay; 138,000 people
Fewest people: Gigmoto^[4]; Catanduanes; 8,348 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: Labo^[5]; Camarines Norte; 646.45 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: Camaligan^[5]; Camarines Sur; 5,178 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: Batuan^[4]; Masbate; 1.61% 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: 57 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Capalonga, −2.35% 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.

107 municipalities, 51 to 100 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Bicol Region, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
51	BasudCamarines Norte	43,388	165	262.81 km²	−0.94% a year
52	Santa ElenaCamarines Norte	42,585	190	224.72 km²	−0.55% a year
53	MatnogSorsogon	42,444	317	133.72 km²	0.26% a year
54	MoboMasbate	41,199	290	142.14 km²	0.22% a year
55	MalilipotAlbay	41,066	915	44.86 km²	0.12% a year
56	ClaveriaMasbate	40,733	240	169.66 km²	−0.81% a year
57	BaludMasbate	40,236	180	223.00 km²	0.05% a year
58	San FernandoCamarines Sur	39,206	470	83.42 km²	0.36% a year
59	PamplonaCamarines Sur	38,556	481	80.18 km²	−0.48% a year
60	MagallanesSorsogon	38,072	349	109.22 km²	0.42% a year
61	Santo DomingoAlbay	37,586	735	51.17 km²	−0.11% a year
62	San AndresCatanduanes	37,157	219	169.98 km²	−0.84% a year
63	SagñayCamarines Sur	37,087	319	116.36 km²	0.16% a year
64	CasiguranSorsogon	36,464	425	85.88 km²	0.58% a year
65	Rapu-RapuAlbay	36,281	234	154.86 km²	0.09% a year
66	JubanSorsogon	35,978	284	126.79 km²	0.46% a year
67	CanamanCamarines Sur	35,766	824	43.41 km²	−0.29% a year
68	MilaorCamarines Sur	33,680	1,010	33.34 km²	−0.20% a year
69	LupiCamarines Sur	33,474	191	175.32 km²	−0.30% a year
70	CapalongaCamarines Norte	32,800	128	256.94 km²	−2.35% a year
71	BalatanCamarines Sur	31,069	507	61.25 km²	0.31% a year
72	CaramoranCatanduanes	30,124	115	262.30 km²	−1.52% a year
73	San JacintoMasbate	29,458	263	112.12 km²	−0.18% a year
74	GarchitorenaCamarines Sur	29,408	104	283.92 km²	−0.02% a year
75	BalenoMasbate	28,787	147	196.42 km²	−0.06% a year
76	MagaraoCamarines Sur	28,197	603	46.73 km²	1.28% a year
77	PalanasMasbate	28,133	235	119.49 km²	0.70% a year
78	ManitoAlbay	26,425	247	106.83 km²	0.24% a year
79	TalisayCamarines Norte	26,371	848	31.10 km²	−0.78% a year
80	Del GallegoCamarines Sur	26,029	84	310.09 km²	−0.34% a year
81	MonrealMasbate	25,843	287	90.05 km²	0.64% a year
82	CamaliganCamarines Sur	25,218	5,178	4.87 km²	0.17% a year
83	DimasalangMasbate	25,054	351	71.45 km²	0.14% a year
84	BulusanSorsogon	24,152	306	78.98 km²	0.22% a year
85	Pio V. CorpusMasbate	23,641	252	93.75 km²	−0.10% a year
86	Prieto DiazSorsogon	23,424	443	52.87 km²	0.82% a year
87	PresentacionCamarines Sur	23,323	132	176.27 km²	0.77% a year
88	San FernandoMasbate	22,006	254	86.53 km²	0.45% a year
89	BarcelonaSorsogon	21,911	360	60.92 km²	1.04% a year
90	VigaCatanduanes	21,364	136	156.54 km²	−1.62% a year
91	BatoCatanduanes	21,325	443	48.17 km²	−0.47% a year
92	PandanCatanduanes	20,796	187	111.17 km²	−0.77% a year
93	SirumaCamarines Sur	19,168	129	149.11 km²	−0.31% a year
94	CabusaoCamarines Sur	18,882	586	32.24 km²	−0.47% a year
95	EsperanzaMasbate	18,021	269	66.88 km²	0.66% a year
96	JovellarAlbay	17,538	220	79.74 km²	−0.35% a year
97	Santa MagdalenaSorsogon	17,400	354	49.18 km²	0.42% a year
98	BombonCamarines Sur	17,346	600	28.93 km²	−0.88% a year
99	BatuanMasbate	15,614	290	53.82 km²	1.61% a year
100	San Lorenzo RuizCamarines Norte	15,072	138	109.59 km²	−1.06% 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.