Philippines Administrative Divisions
What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Philippines?
Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:
1. Regions: Philippines is divided into 17 regions.
2. Provinces: Regions are subdivided into provinces.
3. Municipalities, 4 Cities: These are the smallest administrative units, often found within provinces.
List of Philippines's administrative divisions with their counts and names
These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.
| iso | country | admin level 1 | admin level 2 | admin level 3 | admin level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PH | Philippines | Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (Region) | 6 Provinces | 116 Municipalities, 4 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Bicol Region (Region) | 6 Provinces | 107 Municipalities, 7 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Cagayan Valley (Region) | 5 Provinces | 4 Cities, 89 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Calabarzon (Region) | 5 Provinces | 125 Municipalities, 17 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Caraga (Region) | 5 Provinces | 67 Municipalities, 6 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Central Luzon (Region) | 7 Provinces | 116 Municipalities, 14 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Central Visayas (Region) | 4 Provinces | 116 Municipalities, 16 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Cordillera Administrative Region (Region) | 6 Provinces | 2 Cities, 75 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Davao Region (Region) | 5 Provinces | 43 Municipalities, 6 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Eastern Visayas (Region) | 6 Provinces | 136 Municipalities, 7 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Ilocos Region (Region) | 4 Provinces | 116 Municipalities, 9 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Mimaropa (Region) | 5 Provinces | 2 Cities, 71 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | National Capital Region (Region) | 4 Districts | 1 Municipality, 29 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Northern Mindanao (Region) | 5 Provinces | 84 Municipalities, 9 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Soccsksargen (Region) | 4 Provinces | 45 Municipalities, 4 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Western Visayas (Region) | 6 Provinces | 117 Municipalities, 16 Cities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| PH | Philippines | Zamboanga Peninsula (Region) | 3 Provinces | 4 Cities, 67 Municipalities | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?
The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.
How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?
Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Philippines is divided into 18 regions (Rehiyon), which form the top-level administrative units. These are subdivided into 83 provinces (Lalawigan) and 4 districts. The smallest administrative level consists of 156 cities (Lungsod) and 1,491 municipalities (Bayan). Major regions include Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao, Bicol Region, and Cagayan Valley.
The Philippines has 3 administrative levels. Level 1: 18 regions (Rehiyon). Level 2: 83 provinces (Lalawigan) and 4 districts. Level 3: 156 cities (Lungsod) and 1,491 municipalities (Bayan).
Philippines operates on a 3‑level system starting with 17 regions, then provinces, and municipalities, 4 cities as the smallest administrative units.
In the Philippines, provinces and districts both sit at administrative level 2 but serve different functions. Provinces (lalawigan) — there are 83 — typically group multiple smaller municipalities under a shared administration. Districts — there are 4 — are a larger city or urban area that handle its own administration independently.
Administrative boundaries in the Philippines change as governments reorganize regions, merge municipalities, or create new administrative units to reflect population shifts and political decisions. Changes most commonly affect the cities level, where the Philippines currently has 1,647 units. Businesses that rely on Philippine administrative data should use a regularly updated reference dataset to avoid mismatches in geocoding, tax jurisdiction mapping, and compliance reporting.