The Atlas

Municipalities in Bicol Region

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]}

Open Bicol Region

Municipalities in Bicol Region, at a glance

Municipalities: 107^[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: 4,975,720^[4]
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: 16,778.44 km²^[5]; Each municipality's official area, added up.
Most people: Daraga^[4]; Albay; 138,000 people
Fewest people: Gigmoto^[4]; Catanduanes; 8,348 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: Labo^[5]; Camarines Norte; 646.45 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: Camaligan^[5]; Camarines Sur; 5,178 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: Batuan^[4]; Masbate; 1.61% 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: 57 municipalities^[4]; Of those with 10,000 people or more, the steepest fall: Capalonga, −2.35% 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.

107 municipalities, 1 to 50 shown, most people first.

Municipalities in Bicol Region, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
1	DaragaAlbay	138,000	1,161	118.82 km²	0.73% a year
2	LibmananCamarines Sur	113,254	309	367.11 km²	0.06% a year
3	LaboCamarines Norte	108,319	168	646.45 km²	−0.20% a year
4	BulanSorsogon	106,919	513	208.25 km²	0.39% a year
5	DaetCamarines Norte	106,465	2,025	52.57 km²	−1.14% a year
6	PiliCamarines Sur	101,668	716	142.05 km²	0.59% a year
7	PolanguiAlbay	89,344	711	125.65 km²	0.05% a year
8	AroroyMasbate	89,154	193	461.38 km²	0.22% a year
9	CalabangaCamarines Sur	88,918	665	133.72 km²	0.00% a year
10	NabuaCamarines Sur	86,458	968	89.30 km²	−0.01% a year
11	GuinobatanAlbay	84,420	473	178.35 km²	−0.38% a year
12	BuhiCamarines Sur	78,104	311	251.16 km²	−0.96% a year
13	PilarSorsogon	76,908	373	206.16 km²	0.35% a year
14	BulaCamarines Sur	75,943	451	168.46 km²	0.90% a year
15	ViracCatanduanes	75,135	425	176.80 km²	−0.44% a year
16	CamaligAlbay	73,087	541	135.10 km²	0.35% a year
17	BacacayAlbay	72,298	583	124.10 km²	−0.06% a year
18	LibonAlbay	72,135	299	241.06 km²	−0.95% a year
19	GoaCamarines Sur	71,651	355	201.78 km²	0.09% a year
20	TinambacCamarines Sur	69,860	173	403.29 km²	−0.11% a year
21	CawayanMasbate	68,510	267	256.29 km²	−0.26% a year
22	SipocotCamarines Sur	65,286	251	260.11 km²	−1.03% a year
23	OasAlbay	64,890	243	266.70 km²	−0.44% a year
24	TigaonCamarines Sur	61,790	754	81.98 km²	0.50% a year
25	BaaoCamarines Sur	61,357	546	112.36 km²	−0.05% a year
26	CastillaSorsogon	61,308	324	189.07 km²	0.27% a year
27	GubatSorsogon	61,095	530	115.18 km²	0.32% a year
28	Jose PanganibanCamarines Norte	60,626	328	184.99 km²	−1.16% a year
29	IrosinSorsogon	59,540	393	151.68 km²	0.11% a year
30	RagayCamarines Sur	58,843	137	429.66 km²	−0.37% a year
31	ParacaleCamarines Norte	58,391	357	163.69 km²	−0.73% a year
32	MilagrosMasbate	57,362	112	513.83 km²	−0.07% a year
33	LagonoyCamarines Sur	57,044	157	362.71 km²	0.14% a year
34	TiwiAlbay	56,871	552	103.07 km²	0.18% a year
35	PlacerMasbate	56,658	298	190.14 km²	0.14% a year
36	UsonMasbate	56,410	201	280.05 km²	−0.32% a year
37	MercedesCamarines Norte	53,702	438	122.70 km²	−0.72% a year
38	BatoCamarines Sur	52,021	480	108.35 km²	−0.06% a year
39	MinalabacCamarines Sur	51,841	394	131.56 km²	−0.97% a year
40	DonsolSorsogon	51,781	345	149.99 km²	0.71% a year
41	CatainganMasbate	51,165	263	194.45 km²	0.26% a year
42	PasacaoCamarines Sur	50,708	339	149.73 km²	−1.26% a year
43	CaramoanCamarines Sur	50,433	175	287.89 km²	−0.61% a year
44	MalinaoAlbay	49,570	422	117.40 km²	1.08% a year
45	OcampoCamarines Sur	49,535	451	109.81 km²	−0.73% a year
46	Pio DuranAlbay	48,713	341	142.91 km²	−0.17% a year
47	VinzonsCamarines Norte	45,173	428	105.57 km²	−1.95% a year
48	San JoseCamarines Sur	44,688	943	47.39 km²	0.39% a year
49	San PascualMasbate	44,641	180	247.54 km²	0.10% a year
50	MandaonMasbate	44,177	131	336.75 km²	0.03% 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.