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, 351 to 400 shown, most people first.

Municipalities, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
351	TapazCapiz	57,684	112	517.28 km²	1.41% a year
352	BaseySamar	57,645	113	509.36 km²	0.40% a year
353	RamonIsabela	57,412	309	185.63 km²	0.37% a year
354	KitaotaoBukidnon	57,364	203	282.23 km²	1.55% a year
355	MilagrosMasbate	57,362	112	513.83 km²	−0.07% a year
356	MasantolPampanga	57,207	1,471	38.88 km²	−0.33% a year
357	LagonoyCamarines Sur	57,044	157	362.71 km²	0.14% a year
358	San ManuelPangasinan	56,876	443	128.35 km²	1.13% a year
359	TiwiAlbay	56,871	552	103.07 km²	0.18% a year
360	LianBatangas	56,788	705	80.51 km²	0.22% a year
361	PlacerMasbate	56,658	298	190.14 km²	0.14% a year
362	MasinlocZambales	56,579	110	514.01 km²	0.89% a year
363	BinalonanPangasinan	56,560	977	57.90 km²	0.08% a year
364	UsonMasbate	56,410	201	280.05 km²	−0.32% a year
365	UrbiztondoPangasinan	56,349	1,320	42.70 km²	0.34% a year
366	CarigaraLeyte	56,060	509	110.21 km²	0.61% a year
367	Impasug-ongBukidnon	55,901	79	708.47 km²	0.89% a year
368	ManaplaNegros Occidental	55,882	576	97.05 km²	0.35% a year
369	SumisipBasilan	55,778	210	266.05 km²	4.01% a year
370	ZaragozaNueva Ecija	55,657	742	75.02 km²	1.14% a year
371	TitayZamboanga Sibugay	55,534	160	346.82 km²	0.68% a year
372	SaraIloilo	55,476	320	173.44 km²	0.37% a year
373	CabaganIsabela	55,445	134	414.79 km²	0.68% a year
374	MagpetCotabato	55,255	108	513.39 km²	0.64% a year
375	San IsidroNueva Ecija	55,108	891	61.84 km²	0.32% a year
376	PontevedraNegros Occidental	54,941	495	110.94 km²	0.19% a year
377	EstanciaIloilo	54,882	1,804	30.43 km²	0.75% a year
378	AsturiasCebu	54,777	359	152.55 km²	−0.27% a year
379	TagkawayanQuezon	54,709	103	529.69 km²	0.31% a year
380	BurauenLeyte	54,635	172	317.33 km²	0.96% a year
381	SibongaCebu	54,610	566	96.47 km²	0.53% a year
382	HamticAntique	54,455	442	123.26 km²	0.80% a year
383	BoacMarinduque	54,365	252	215.78 km²	−1.25% a year
384	BuenavistaGuimaras	54,352	470	115.59 km²	0.65% a year
385	LucbanQuezon	54,134	423	127.94 km²	0.47% a year
386	AjuyIloilo	54,100	301	179.98 km²	0.28% a year
387	MulanayQuezon	53,976	198	272.93 km²	−0.70% a year
388	Old PanamaoSulu	53,903	699	77.11 km²	1.89% a year
389	DauisBohol	53,864	1,266	42.53 km²	0.62% a year
390	KiblawanDavao del Sur	53,757	147	364.70 km²	2.06% a year
391	BaroboSurigao del Sur	53,729	226	237.76 km²	0.26% a year
392	MercedesCamarines Norte	53,702	438	122.70 km²	−0.72% a year
393	Santa IgnaciaTarlac	53,620	388	138.28 km²	0.91% a year
394	PigkawayanCotabato	53,593	270	198.19 km²	0.38% a year
395	AlaminosLaguna	53,589	1,044	51.35 km²	0.90% a year
396	Padre GarciaBatangas	53,526	1,132	47.27 km²	0.76% a year
397	NaguilianLa Union	53,443	517	103.35 km²	0.57% a year
398	IbajayAklan	53,399	375	142.21 km²	0.47% a year
399	San NarcisoQuezon	53,375	212	252.29 km²	1.07% a year
400	LeonIloilo	52,777	322	163.96 km²	0.36% 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.