The Atlas

Provinces

A province is a local government made up of municipalities and component cities, led by a governor, a vice governor and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial board.^[1] A highly urbanized city lies inside a province but governs itself apart from it, so the PSA counts its people apart from the province's.^{[2, 3]}

Only Congress can create a province, by law, and only when the voters of the places affected approve it in a plebiscite.^{[1, 2]} The law asks for an income of at least ₱20 million a year and either 2,000 km² of land or 250,000 people.^[1]

Every province in a colour of its own, no two side by side alike.

At a glance

Provinces: 82^[4]; The Special Geographic Area of Bangsamoro, listed with them, is counted apart.
Most people: Cavite^[5]; CALABARZON; 4,573,884 people
Fewest people: Batanes^[5]; Cagayan Valley; 18,937 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: Palawan^[3]; MIMAROPA; 13,511.74 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: Cavite^[3]; CALABARZON; 3,599 people per km²
Fastest growingGrowth 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: Basilan^[5]; Bangsamoro (BARMM); 5.93% 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: 12 provinces^[5]; The steepest fall: Dinagat Islands, −1.45% a year.

Each row is a province, 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.

82 provinces and the Special Geographic Area, 1 to 50 shown, most people first.

Provinces, most people
Rank	Name	People, 2024	People per km²	Land area	Growth, 2020–2024
1	CaviteProvince · CALABARZON	4,573,884	3,599	1,270.91 km²	1.24% a year
2	BulacanProvince · Central Luzon	3,876,806	1,318	2,942.54 km²	1.07% a year
3	LagunaProvince · CALABARZON	3,687,345	2,177	1,693.95 km²	2.09% a year
4	RizalProvince · CALABARZON	3,416,541	3,459	987.77 km²	0.62% a year
5	CebuProvince · Central Visayas	3,400,522	775	4,389.23 km²	0.54% a year
6	PangasinanProvince · Ilocos Region	3,188,540	601	5,307.19 km²	0.19% a year
7	BatangasProvince · CALABARZON	2,994,795	1,099	2,725.23 km²	0.70% a year
8	Negros OccidentalProvince · Negros Island Region	2,680,477	347	7,723.65 km²	0.52% a year
9	PampangaProvince · Central Luzon	2,586,446	1,183	2,186.22 km²	1.43% a year
10	Nueva EcijaProvince · Central Luzon	2,395,816	476	5,036.88 km²	0.88% a year
11	IloiloProvince · Western Visayas	2,082,616	442	4,707.37 km²	0.36% a year
12	Camarines SurProvince · Bicol Region	2,063,314	361	5,718.25 km²	−0.06% a year
13	QuezonProvince · CALABARZON	1,980,338	227	8,710.19 km²	0.37% a year
14	LeyteProvince · Eastern Visayas	1,823,458	367	4,969.46 km²	0.62% a year
15	IsabelaProvince · Cagayan Valley	1,733,048	138	12,602.70 km²	0.50% a year
16	BukidnonProvince · Northern Mindanao	1,601,902	171	9,360.57 km²	0.93% a year
17	TarlacProvince · Central Luzon	1,568,162	486	3,224.35 km²	1.02% a year
18	Negros OrientalProvince · Negros Island Region	1,492,038	279	5,348.15 km²	0.97% a year
19	BoholProvince · Central Visayas	1,412,726	336	4,207.96 km²	0.31% a year
20	AlbayProvince · Bicol Region	1,379,398	549	2,514.74 km²	0.08% a year
21	Lanao del SurProvince · Bangsamoro (BARMM)	1,368,137	250	5,483.08 km²	3.29% a year
22	CotabatoProvince · SOCCSKSARGEN	1,286,142	209	6,155.62 km²	0.21% a year
23	CagayanProvince · Cagayan Valley	1,284,676	134	9,554.62 km²	0.30% a year
24	SuluProvince · Zamboanga Peninsula	1,146,097	518	2,211.57 km²	3.32% a year
25	Davao del NorteProvince · Davao Region	1,143,931	311	3,676.99 km²	0.40% a year
26	Maguindanao del NorteProvince · Bangsamoro (BARMM)	1,124,811	376	2,990.84 km²	4.31% a year
27	Zamboanga del NorteProvince · Zamboanga Peninsula	1,067,067	153	6,993.50 km²	0.45% a year
28	Zamboanga del SurProvince · Zamboanga Peninsula	1,045,126	244	4,290.46 km²	−0.13% a year
29	South CotabatoProvince · SOCCSKSARGEN	1,010,009	249	4,052.29 km²	0.84% a year
30	Misamis OrientalProvince · Northern Mindanao	988,065	296	3,336.91 km²	0.77% a year
31	PalawanProvince · MIMAROPA	968,795	72	13,511.74 km²	0.74% a year
32	Oriental MindoroProvince · MIMAROPA	919,504	209	4,407.03 km²	0.29% a year
33	MasbateProvince · Bicol Region	910,813	222	4,095.65 km²	0.05% a year
34	BataanProvince · Central Luzon	891,440	660	1,349.88 km²	1.05% a year
35	Sultan KudaratProvince · SOCCSKSARGEN	863,651	152	5,689.08 km²	0.27% a year
36	SorsogonProvince · Bicol Region	845,066	424	1,993.11 km²	0.47% a year
37	CapizProvince · Western Visayas	835,098	316	2,642.70 km²	0.89% a year
38	La UnionProvince · Ilocos Region	825,072	528	1,562.16 km²	0.08% a year
39	Maguindanao del SurProvince · Bangsamoro (BARMM)	813,243	283	2,876.24 km²	2.84% a year
40	SamarProvince · Eastern Visayas	806,179	149	5,414.68 km²	0.39% a year
41	Davao de OroProvince · Davao Region	783,775	149	5,257.86 km²	0.50% a year
42	Lanao del NorteProvince · Northern Mindanao	761,725	306	2,492.03 km²	1.26% a year
43	Agusan del SurProvince · Caraga	740,531	75	9,876.82 km²	0.04% a year
44	Ilocos SurProvince · Ilocos Region	709,991	268	2,651.49 km²	0.13% a year
45	Davao del SurProvince · Davao Region	705,129	317	2,221.11 km²	0.86% a year
46	ZambalesProvince · Central Luzon	681,225	178	3,830.65 km²	1.15% a year
47	Zamboanga SibugayProvince · Zamboanga Peninsula	661,498	218	3,032.59 km²	−0.30% a year
48	Surigao del SurProvince · Caraga	648,858	114	5,692.86 km²	0.25% a year
49	Northern SamarProvince · Eastern Visayas	645,789	195	3,310.52 km²	0.25% a year
50	AntiqueProvince · Western Visayas	643,173	221	2,908.82 km²	1.16% a year

How it fits

A province is a local government led by a governor and made up of cities and municipalities. A highly urbanized city, or an independent component city, lies within a province but governs itself apart from it.

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
2.1986 Constitutional Commission. The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. Published February 2, 1987. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. Philippine government work, no copyright (Republic Act No. 8293, Section 176.1). Open the source
3.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
4.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
5.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

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.