Comprehensive Guide to Lanao del Norte

Lanao del Norte at a glance

Lanao del Norte is a coastal province in Northern Mindanao (Region X), one of the administrative regions of the Philippines. Executive Order No. 36 of September 2001, which set the current regional line-up in Mindanao, lists Lanao del Norte and Iligan City as part of Region X, together with Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental.

The province faces Iligan Bay to the north. Going clockwise from the north, it borders Iligan Bay, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Sur, Illana Bay, Pagadian Bay and Zamboanga del Sur. Misamis Occidental lies across Panguil Bay and is now reached by bridge from Tubod.

The provincial capital is Tubod. Batas Pambansa Blg. 181, approved on 5 March 1982, moved the seat of the provincial government there from Iligan City.

How Iligan City is counted

Iligan is a highly urbanized city. It sits within Lanao del Norte on the map, but it is administered independently of the province, and government statistics report it on its own line. That is why Lanao del Norte has no component city of its own: all 22 of its local government units are municipalities.

So there are two ways to state the population, and both are correct if the basis is given:

• Province only (excluding Iligan): 761,725 (2024 census)
• Whole geographic area (including Iligan): 1,129,857 (2024 census)

Land area works the same way. The 22 municipalities cover about 3,354 km² and 462 barangays. Iligan adds 813.37 km² and 44 barangays (PSA area figures from 2013).

The 2024 Census of Population used a reference date of 1 July 2024. Its results were declared official by Proclamation No. 973, dated 11 July 2025. It counted 112,729,484 people nationally and 5,178,326 in Northern Mindanao.

Population by municipality

Between the 2020 census (1 May 2020) and the 2024 census (1 July 2024), the province excluding Iligan grew by 38,823 people, or about 5.4%. Iligan grew by 5,017, or about 1.4%. Kapatagan saw the biggest rise among the towns, about 16% (from 62,571 to 72,762).

City / municipality	Type	2020 census	2024 census
Iligan	Highly urbanized city (independent)	363,115	368,132
Lala	Municipality	73,425	75,015
Baloi	Municipality	68,465	74,003
Kapatagan	Municipality	62,571	72,762
Sultan Naga Dimaporo	Municipality	60,904	65,656
Tubod (capital)	Municipality	50,073	50,395
Munai	Municipality	35,020	36,449
Salvador	Municipality	32,115	34,053
Pantao Ragat	Municipality	30,247	32,557
Poona Piagapo	Municipality	29,183	30,666
Kolambugan	Municipality	28,265	28,545
Pantar	Municipality	26,599	27,300
Kauswagan	Municipality	24,193	25,515
Bacolod	Municipality	24,367	24,963
Sapad	Municipality	22,974	24,826
Baroy	Municipality	24,683	24,763
Maigo	Municipality	23,337	23,400
Linamon	Municipality	21,269	21,385
Magsaysay	Municipality	20,463	20,581
Nunungan	Municipality	18,827	19,036
Tangcal	Municipality	16,075	17,247
Matungao	Municipality	14,756	16,404
Tagoloan	Municipality	15,091	16,204
Province, excluding Iligan		722,902	761,725
Including Iligan		1,086,017	1,129,857

Economy

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) measures the economies of provinces and highly urbanized cities separately. According to PSA figures reported in November 2025:

• Iligan City grew 8.8% in 2024, the fastest of any province or highly urbanized city in Northern Mindanao. Its output was valued at ₱88.5 billion. The PSA regional director attributed the growth to the city’s industry and construction sectors and to renewed private investment.
• Lanao del Norte (province) grew 5.3% in 2024, with improvements in commerce and local industries.
• Northern Mindanao as a whole grew 6.0% in 2024, reaching ₱1.04 trillion at constant 2018 prices.

Iligan City

Iligan is a coastal city on Iligan Bay with 368,132 residents (2024 census) in 44 barangays and a land area of 813.37 km². Its nearest neighbouring town is Linamon, to the west-southwest. Iligan was the seat of the Lanao del Norte provincial government until 1982, when the capital moved to Tubod. It is by far the most populous local government in the area, and in 2024 it had the highest economic growth rate in the region.

Tubod and the Panguil Bay Bridge

Tubod, the provincial capital, had 50,395 residents in the 2024 census. It is the Lanao del Norte end of the Panguil Bay Bridge, which the Department of Public Works and Highways built across Panguil Bay to Tangub City in Misamis Occidental. The 3.169-km bridge, described as Mindanao’s longest sea-crossing bridge, opened on 27 September 2024. It cut the crossing between the two provinces to about seven minutes, compared with at least 2.5 hours by roll-on/roll-off ferry. The project cost more than ₱8 billion and was funded under a 2016 loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

Other towns

• Lala, Baloi, Kapatagan and Sultan Naga Dimaporo are the most populous municipalities, each with more than 65,000 residents in 2024.
• Six towns and the Bangsamoro vote. In the 6 February 2019 plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law, voters in Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan and Tangcal backed joining the new Bangsamoro region. The province-wide vote went the other way, so the six towns stayed in Lanao del Norte.

Getting there

Laguindingan International Airport, in neighbouring Misamis Oriental, serves Iligan and Cagayan de Oro as well as Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon. It opened in June 2013, replacing the old Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro. The government awarded a concession to run and upgrade it to Aboitiz InfraCapital in 2024, and the operator reported airside upgrades under way as of April 2026. The Panguil Bay Bridge now gives a road link from Misamis Occidental straight into Tubod.

What has changed since 2023

• New census figures (declared official July 2025). The 2024 census replaces the 2020 figures. The province excluding Iligan went from 722,902 to 761,725, and Iligan from 363,115 to 368,132.
• Panguil Bay Bridge opened (27 September 2024). It gives Tubod a direct road link to Tangub City and Misamis Occidental.
• Income classes were reset (effective 2025). Republic Act No. 11964, approved on 26 October 2023, requires income classes of provinces, cities and municipalities to be recalculated every three years. The Department of Finance issued the first new schedule as Department Order No. 074-2024 in November 2024. Income classes quoted in older guides may no longer be current.
• Airport operator changed. Laguindingan International Airport moved to private operation under the 2024 concession, with upgrade works starting in 2025.
• No boundary changes. No new municipalities or cities were created in Lanao del Norte between 2023 and November 2026 in the sources reviewed. The province still has 22 municipalities, and Iligan remains a separate highly urbanized city.

Property in Lanao del Norte

Iligan is the area’s largest city and fastest-growing economy, while the province’s towns grew faster in population between 2020 and 2024 (about 5.4%, against about 1.4% for Iligan). The Panguil Bay Bridge has shortened travel between Tubod and Misamis Occidental. Buyers should judge a location on current conditions, not on expectations about what new infrastructure will do to prices.

Points for buyers to keep in mind:

• Know which local government you are buying in. Iligan is administered separately from the province. A property in Linamon or Tubod falls under a different set of local offices from one inside Iligan.
• Check the licence to sell. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) advises buyers to confirm that a project has a valid licence to sell before buying. Ask the seller for the licence number or a copy, and check it against DHSUD’s License to Sell Directory.

Current listings by area:

• Lanao del Norte (all listings in the province)
• Iligan
• Northern Mindanao region
• Northern Mindanao: a comprehensive overview

For neighbouring areas, see the guides to Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro, the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Bangsamoro region.

Browse our current Lanao del Norte and Iligan listings above, or contact Lionunion for help finding a property in Northern Mindanao.