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, 251 to 300 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
251	MiagaoIloilo	68,163	443	153.88 km²	0.02% a year
252	MaasimSarangani	67,907	136	500.43 km²	1.08% a year
253	AngatBulacan	67,862	1,017	66.72 km²	0.81% a year
254	San RemigioCebu	67,850	810	83.77 km²	0.76% a year
255	MaragusanDavao de Oro	67,759	81	835.50 km²	1.22% a year
256	RosalesPangasinan	67,510	978	69.01 km²	0.29% a year
257	JaniuayIloilo	67,509	356	189.51 km²	0.26% a year
258	TeresaRizal	67,454	3,546	19.02 km²	1.24% a year
259	San MateoIsabela	67,433	279	242.10 km²	0.28% a year
260	PaterosMetro Manila	67,319	26,400	2.55 km²	0.76% a year
261	PikitCotabato	67,220	391	171.74 km²	0.07% a year
262	SibalomAntique	67,155	253	265.01 km²	1.22% a year
263	MoncadaTarlac	66,925	770	86.91 km²	1.53% a year
264	OpolMisamis Oriental	66,836	291	230.02 km²	0.18% a year
265	MalusoBasilan	66,817	578	115.62 km²	9.52% a year
266	HilongosLeyte	66,774	347	192.53 km²	0.83% a year
267	Santa CruzZambales	66,647	131	510.21 km²	1.04% a year
268	RoxasIsabela	66,593	488	136.53 km²	0.27% a year
269	NagcarlanLaguna	66,351	886	74.89 km²	0.54% a year
270	TuaoCagayan	66,147	293	225.82 km²	0.81% a year
271	San SimonPampanga	65,760	1,101	59.71 km²	2.56% a year
272	Enrique B. MagalonaNegros Occidental	65,730	448	146.62 km²	0.53% a year
273	TigbauanIloilo	65,657	715	91.88 km²	0.15% a year
274	Sultan Naga DimaporoLanao del Norte	65,656	284	230.99 km²	1.82% a year
275	AtimonanQuezon	65,552	251	260.89 km²	0.48% a year
276	San FernandoBukidnon	65,494	86	763.55 km²	0.92% a year
277	LutayanSultan Kudarat	65,425	239	273.42 km²	−0.08% a year
278	IsabelaNegros Occidental	65,399	343	190.49 km²	0.33% a year
279	UpiMaguindanao del Norte	65,363	123	532.30 km²	2.48% a year
280	SipocotCamarines Sur	65,286	251	260.11 km²	−1.03% a year
281	AgooLa Union	65,256	1,237	52.75 km²	−0.28% a year
282	VillasisPangasinan	65,086	796	81.74 km²	0.01% a year
283	OasAlbay	64,890	243	266.70 km²	−0.44% a year
284	BansalanDavao del Sur	64,816	273	237.25 km²	0.78% a year
285	MalayAklan	64,723	1,144	56.57 km²	1.80% a year
286	San LuisPampanga	64,674	1,124	57.55 km²	2.41% a year
287	Hinoba-anNegros Occidental	64,364	159	404.21 km²	1.35% a year
288	CalinogIloilo	63,896	234	273.10 km²	0.40% a year
289	San FranciscoQuezon	63,789	232	274.99 km²	0.65% a year
290	Santo DomingoNueva Ecija	63,750	847	75.25 km²	1.03% a year
291	Governor GenerosoDavao Oriental	63,695	168	378.55 km²	1.49% a year
292	IlogNegros Occidental	63,444	197	322.28 km²	1.41% a year
293	Santa AnaPampanga	63,431	1,588	39.95 km²	0.73% a year
294	OrionBataan	63,044	1,037	60.81 km²	0.88% a year
295	AsuncionDavao del Norte	62,929	236	266.22 km²	0.40% a year
296	MatanaoDavao del Sur	62,773	243	258.65 km²	0.89% a year
297	CabatuanIloilo	62,717	589	106.50 km²	0.62% a year
298	MedellinCebu	62,163	819	75.94 km²	1.01% a year
299	TulunanCotabato	61,901	157	393.49 km²	0.36% a year
300	San MarianoIsabela	61,876	42	1,460.96 km²	0.69% 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.