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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

Map of the Philippines, every municipality in a colour of its own

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.
Island group: All
Region: All
Sort: Most people

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, 951 to 1,000 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
RankNamePeople, 2024People per km²Land areaGrowth, 2020–2024
951JavierLeyte27,759201137.79 km²0.98% a year
952LaguindinganMisamis Oriental27,68869939.62 km²1.18% a year
953Datu Hoffer AmpatuanMaguindanao del Sur27,67837573.79 km²0.90% a year
954SawataDavao del Norte27,552172160.45 km²0.28% a year
955Sapi-AnCapiz27,37727998.16 km²0.61% a year
956TarragonaDavao Oriental27,34979344.96 km²0.31% a year
957San IsidroIsabela27,32643263.24 km²0.25% a year
958PantarLanao del Norte27,30042364.59 km²0.63% a year
959MacrohonSouthern Leyte27,27636275.25 km²0.62% a year
960BobonNorthern Samar27,26632085.29 km²1.18% a year
961BasilisaDinagat Islands27,238266102.46 km²−7.03% a year
962DangcaganBukidnon27,12862438.26 km²0.95% a year
963BadianganIloilo27,08843262.67 km²0.03% a year
964BinidayanLanao del Sur27,0311,72015.72 km²0.97% a year
965PuraTarlac27,01786131.37 km²1.13% a year
966Santa MargaritaSamar27,012209129.12 km²0.17% a year
967LabradorPangasinan26,99527697.82 km²0.16% a year
968BusuangaPalawan26,97473367.96 km²1.25% a year
969AntipasCotabato26,946234115.28 km²0.12% a year
970Ditsaan-RamainLanao del Sur26,9181,59316.90 km²2.38% a year
971PoroCebu26,90840167.09 km²0.61% a year
972CasiguranAurora26,85542645.60 km²0.26% a year
973InfantaPangasinan26,83794284.15 km²0.54% a year
974TalisayanMisamis Oriental26,801267100.37 km²0.95% a year
975San JoseDinagat Islands26,73560744.06 km²0.33% a year
976BurgosIsabela26,72946357.70 km²0.63% a year
977NatividadPangasinan26,721206129.80 km²0.87% a year
978San JuanIlocos Sur26,70935675.05 km²0.03% a year
979MabiniPangasinan26,589110241.05 km²0.12% a year
980AmlanNegros Oriental26,56640765.26 km²0.97% a year
981NagtipunanQuirino26,541171,561.18 km²1.06% a year
982AllenNorthern Samar26,52755847.55 km²1.21% a year
983AlegriaCebu26,52032182.54 km²0.83% a year
984LamutIfugao26,520177149.45 km²0.26% a year
985TalugtugNueva Ecija26,469258102.47 km²1.15% a year
986TubayAgusan del Norte26,463212124.79 km²0.62% a year
987San PabloIsabela26,46241637.90 km²0.13% a year
988ManitoAlbay26,425247106.83 km²0.24% a year
989TalisayCamarines Norte26,37184831.10 km²−0.78% a year
990SarratIlocos Norte26,29444858.66 km²1.04% a year
991Sanchez MiraCagayan26,292120218.77 km²0.12% a year
992TugayaLanao del Sur26,28361842.54 km²1.42% a year
993Bien UnidoBohol26,2781,03125.50 km²−0.35% a year
994SolsonaIlocos Norte26,249157166.95 km²1.32% a year
995Santa LuciaIlocos Sur26,20058045.15 km²0.22% a year
996AltavasAklan26,18128492.32 km²0.50% a year
997San PabloZamboanga del Sur26,166233112.22 km²−0.44% a year
998Sierra BullonesBohol26,154251104.33 km²0.05% a year
999San MiguelBohol26,124200130.62 km²0.72% a year
1,000KadayanganSpecial Geographic Area26,09951151.12 km²0.49% 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.

  1. Island groups3Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao: a grouping, not a government
  2. Regions18Big areas that group provinces
  3. Provinces82Each led by a governor
  4. Cities and municipalities1,642Each led by a mayor
  5. Barangays42,010The smallest unit, led by a punong barangay (kapitan)

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.