Tawi-Tawi

Summary data

Type	province
Island group	Mindanao
Region	Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Cities	0
Municipalities	11
Barangays	203
Coastal/Landlocked	coastal
Marine waterbodies	Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea
Area (2013)	3,626.55 km² (1,400.22 sq mi)
Population (2020)	440,276
Density (2020)	121 / km² (314 / sq mi)

Tawi-Tawi is a province in the Philippines situated in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao occupying the Sulu Archipelago and the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in central Mindanao. Its capital is the Municipality of Bongao.

The province has a land area of 3,626.55 square kilometers or 1,400.22 square miles. Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 440,276. This represented 10.00% of the total population of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, 1.68% of the overall population of the Mindanao island group, or 0.40% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 121 inhabitants per square kilometer or 314 inhabitants per square mile.

Map

Tawi-Tawi is bordered, clockwise from the Northeast, by the Sulu Sea, and Celebes Sea.

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Map of the Philippines with Tawi-Tawi highlighted in red

Local government units

Tawi-Tawi has 11 municipalities. The total number of barangays in the province is 203.

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Local government units of Tawi-Tawi
Name	Type	Population (2020)	Population (2015)	Annual Population Growth Rate (2015‑2020)	Area (2013), in km²	Density (2020), per km²	Brgy count
Bongao	municipality, capital	116,118	100,527	3.08%	365.95	317	35
Languyan	municipality	37,096	33,494	2.17%	581.20	64	20
Mapun	municipality	30,038	26,597	2.59%	181.29	166	15
Panglima Sugala	municipality	48,055	44,184	1.78%	416.66	115	17
Sapa-Sapa	municipality	33,580	30,917	1.75%	235.61	143	23
Sibutu	municipality	34,243	30,387	2.55%	56.54	606	16
Simunul	municipality	34,245	31,223	1.96%	167.25	205	15
Sitangkai	municipality	37,319	33,334	2.41%	735.46	51	9
South Ubian	municipality	29,583	25,935	2.81%	272.04	109	31
Tandubas	municipality	34,316	29,390	3.32%	552.05	62	20
Turtle Islands	municipality	5,683	4,727	3.95%	62.50	91	2
Tawi-Tawi Total		440,276	390,715	2.55%	3,626.55	121	203

Economy

The annual regular revenue of Tawi-Tawi for the fiscal year of 2016 was ₱814,288,464.59.

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Annual regular income of Tawi-Tawi (2009‑2016)
Fiscal Year	Annual Regular Income	Change
2009	513,377,830.41	–
2010	540,271,966.86	5.24%
2011	626,846,385.16	16.02%
2012	570,957,627.00	-8.92%
2013	570,916,123.00	-0.01%
2014	640,019,581.55	12.10%
2015	732,565,732.67	14.46%
2016	814,288,464.59	11.16%
End notes: Annual Regular Income = Locally Sourced Revenue + Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) Current Year + Other Shares from National Tax Collection Locally Sourced Revenue = Real Property Tax (General Fund) + Tax on Business + Other Taxes + Regulatory Fees + Service/User Charges + Receipts from Economic Enterprises

Demographics

Population by age group

According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Tawi-Tawi is 5 to 9, with 53,718 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 80 and over, with 1,101 individuals.

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Population of Tawi-Tawi by age group (2015 census)
Age group	Population (2015)	Age group percentage
Under 1	8,936	2.29%
1 to 4	43,401	11.11%
5 to 9	53,718	13.75%
10 to 14	50,232	12.86%
15 to 19	42,852	10.97%
20 to 24	34,588	8.85%
25 to 29	30,882	7.90%
30 to 34	26,238	6.72%
35 to 39	25,686	6.57%
40 to 44	20,814	5.33%
45 to 49	17,305	4.43%
50 to 54	12,799	3.28%
55 to 59	8,769	2.24%
60 to 64	6,083	1.56%
65 to 69	3,882	0.99%
70 to 74	2,284	0.58%
75 to 79	1,145	0.29%
80 and over	1,101	0.28%
Total	390,715	100.00%
Youth Dependency Ratio: 69.15 Old Age Dependency Ratio: 3.72 Total Dependency Ratio: 72.87 Median Age: 19.56

Historical population

The population of Tawi-Tawi grew from 16,675 in 1903 to 440,276 in 2020, an increase of 423,601 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive growth rate of 2.55%, or an increase of 49,561 people, from the previous population of 390,715 in 2015.

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Population of Tawi-Tawi (1903‑2020)
Census date	Population	Growth rate
1903 Mar 2	16,675	–
1918 Dec 31	44,799	6.44%
1939 Jan 1	45,769	0.11%
1948 Oct 1	58,531	2.56%
1960 Feb 15	78,594	2.63%
1970 May 6	110,196	3.36%
1975 May 1	143,487	5.44%
1980 May 1	194,651	6.29%
1990 May 1	228,204	1.60%
1995 Sep 1	250,718	1.78%
2000 May 1	322,317	5.53%
2007 Aug 1	450,346	4.72%
2010 May 1	366,550	-7.22%
2015 Aug 1	390,715	1.22%
2020 May 1	440,276	2.55%

The total number of registered voters or electorate in Tawi-Tawi for the year 2019 was 210,419.

Notes

Unless otherwise specified, population count (excluding percentages) and land area figures are derived from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Data on registered voters is from the Commission on Elections.
Maps utilize OpenStreetMap data available under the Open Data Commons Open Database License.
Data on National Roads is from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

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