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, 201 to 250 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
201	MalvarBatangas	74,565	3,035	24.57 km²	3.59% a year
202	CarlesIloilo	74,177	722	102.79 km²	0.50% a year
203	BaloiLanao del Norte	74,003	698	106.03 km²	1.88% a year
204	EsperanzaSultan Kudarat	73,822	187	394.56 km²	−0.28% a year
205	Don CarlosBukidnon	73,592	336	219.22 km²	1.46% a year
206	CamaligAlbay	73,087	541	135.10 km²	0.35% a year
207	OraniBataan	72,941	1,140	63.98 km²	0.87% a year
208	CordovaCebu	72,915	7,627	9.56 km²	0.78% a year
209	BayombongNueva Vizcaya	72,890	446	163.36 km²	1.78% a year
210	KapataganLanao del Norte	72,762	290	250.67 km²	3.68% a year
211	BinalbaganNegros Occidental	72,594	350	207.51 km²	0.40% a year
212	Jose Abad SantosDavao Occidental	72,552	105	691.18 km²	−0.27% a year
213	PilillaRizal	72,503	1,020	71.09 km²	0.32% a year
214	GumacaQuezon	72,454	364	199.03 km²	0.17% a year
215	BacacayAlbay	72,298	583	124.10 km²	−0.06% a year
216	MorongRizal	72,262	2,011	35.93 km²	0.37% a year
217	LibonAlbay	72,135	299	241.06 km²	−0.95% a year
218	AliagaNueva Ecija	72,134	802	89.98 km²	0.60% a year
219	La PazTarlac	71,978	606	118.71 km²	1.04% a year
220	RizalNueva Ecija	71,749	584	122.77 km²	0.53% a year
221	GoaCamarines Sur	71,651	355	201.78 km²	0.09% a year
222	AlamadaCotabato	71,523	90	792.04 km²	0.98% a year
223	VictoriaTarlac	71,495	628	113.90 km²	0.73% a year
224	TalibonBohol	71,450	497	143.77 km²	0.06% a year
225	CuyapoNueva Ecija	70,919	388	182.91 km²	0.99% a year
226	BuenavistaAgusan del Norte	70,691	149	475.61 km²	0.62% a year
227	BotolanZambales	70,340	89	794.75 km²	1.27% a year
228	MaubanQuezon	70,135	142	494.21 km²	−0.32% a year
229	CastillejosZambales	70,105	751	93.30 km²	0.77% a year
230	IndangCavite	70,092	800	87.60 km²	0.48% a year
231	TinambacCamarines Sur	69,860	173	403.29 km²	−0.11% a year
232	BagumbayanSultan Kudarat	69,830	102	686.07 km²	0.31% a year
233	BayLaguna	69,802	1,868	37.36 km²	0.92% a year
234	RoxasPalawan	69,729	61	1,150.29 km²	0.04% a year
235	San JoseAntique	69,522	1,420	48.95 km²	1.57% a year
236	CoronPalawan	69,439	116	599.96 km²	1.28% a year
237	San PascualBatangas	69,419	1,876	37.01 km²	0.14% a year
238	BongabonNueva Ecija	69,376	272	255.25 km²	0.90% a year
239	SolanoNueva Vizcaya	69,296	684	101.35 km²	1.44% a year
240	San LeonardoNueva Ecija	69,180	1,296	53.36 km²	0.22% a year
241	SibulanNegros Oriental	69,092	457	151.32 km²	1.72% a year
242	CalauagQuezon	68,999	167	411.99 km²	−0.95% a year
243	LantapanBukidnon	68,777	209	328.37 km²	1.00% a year
244	KiambaSarangani	68,745	154	446.38 km²	1.07% a year
245	LuponDavao Oriental	68,717	120	573.51 km²	0.62% a year
246	QuezonPalawan	68,532	73	937.60 km²	1.17% a year
247	CawayanMasbate	68,510	267	256.29 km²	−0.26% a year
248	Santa BarbaraIloilo	68,467	991	69.11 km²	0.30% a year
249	AparriCagayan	68,368	258	264.60 km²	−0.16% a year
250	TuburanCebu	68,307	277	246.16 km²	0.05% 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.