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, 151 to 200 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
151	MalapatanSarangani	82,577	137	600.92 km²	0.54% a year
152	La CastellanaNegros Occidental	82,500	392	210.37 km²	0.89% a year
153	BariliCebu	82,427	680	121.21 km²	0.50% a year
154	UbayBohol	82,179	311	264.01 km²	0.11% a year
155	PagbilaoQuezon	82,132	476	172.57 km²	1.03% a year
156	LimayBataan	81,960	1,040	78.80 km²	1.11% a year
157	TalakagBukidnon	81,932	102	799.45 km²	1.49% a year
158	MatalamCotabato	81,610	200	407.44 km²	0.08% a year
159	LambayongSultan Kudarat	81,288	376	216.35 km²	0.46% a year
160	San JoseBatangas	81,170	1,399	58.04 km²	0.39% a year
161	BambanTarlac	81,012	235	344.14 km²	0.83% a year
162	KapalongDavao del Norte	80,731	95	850.23 km²	−0.10% a year
163	LambunaoIloilo	80,724	324	249.24 km²	−0.15% a year
164	NarraPalawan	80,572	96	839.49 km²	0.80% a year
165	BustosBulacan	80,565	2,122	37.96 km²	1.03% a year
166	HermosaBataan	80,557	566	142.28 km²	0.95% a year
167	TagoloanMisamis Oriental	80,424	952	84.51 km²	0.03% a year
168	Santa CatalinaNegros Oriental	80,382	190	423.93 km²	0.88% a year
169	PaloLeyte	80,291	917	87.55 km²	1.26% a year
170	Santa RosaNueva Ecija	80,258	511	157.20 km²	1.43% a year
171	BalagtasBulacan	80,221	3,807	21.07 km²	0.98% a year
172	CarmenCotabato	79,741	170	469.92 km²	0.18% a year
173	San FranciscoAgusan del Sur	79,718	194	409.89 km²	−0.31% a year
174	MangataremPangasinan	79,648	257	310.34 km²	0.10% a year
175	UminganPangasinan	78,940	296	266.78 km²	0.58% a year
176	PototanIloilo	78,919	813	97.07 km²	0.19% a year
177	TupiSouth Cotabato	78,599	195	403.07 km²	1.64% a year
178	ArgaoCebu	78,111	396	197.02 km²	−0.02% a year
179	BuhiCamarines Sur	78,104	311	251.16 km²	−0.96% a year
180	KabacanCotabato	77,945	373	208.89 km²	0.24% a year
181	InfantaQuezon	77,676	410	189.34 km²	0.47% a year
182	BauangLa Union	77,670	1,078	72.08 km²	−0.24% a year
183	BongabongOriental Mindoro	77,540	191	406.38 km²	0.18% a year
184	TumauiniIsabela	77,153	164	471.68 km²	2.10% a year
185	PilarSorsogon	76,908	373	206.16 km²	0.35% a year
186	BalingasagMisamis Oriental	76,877	503	152.81 km²	0.79% a year
187	Brooke's PointPalawan	76,715	66	1,157.47 km²	0.87% a year
188	ManaoagPangasinan	76,606	1,379	55.55 km²	0.18% a year
189	PinamungajanCebu	76,568	699	109.55 km²	0.46% a year
190	CatanauanQuezon	76,250	306	249.17 km²	1.13% a year
191	San FernandoCebu	76,110	878	86.66 km²	1.26% a year
192	BugallonPangasinan	76,027	420	181.00 km²	0.34% a year
193	BulaCamarines Sur	75,943	451	168.46 km²	0.90% a year
194	DalagueteCebu	75,937	465	163.22 km²	0.43% a year
195	DumangasIloilo	75,239	570	132.03 km²	0.43% a year
196	PozorrubioPangasinan	75,143	1,069	70.32 km²	0.13% a year
197	ViracCatanduanes	75,135	425	176.80 km²	−0.44% a year
198	LalaLanao del Norte	75,015	555	135.11 km²	0.52% a year
199	AliciaIsabela	74,699	541	138.16 km²	0.27% a year
200	PaviaIloilo	74,594	2,752	27.11 km²	1.40% 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.