Also known as: Lalawigan han Biliran
Biliran is a province in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas). Population 184K (PSA 2024 census), 0 cities + 8 municipalities, 132 barangays total, land area 536.01 km². Provincial capital: Naval.
Biliran is a province in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas). Its capital is Naval.
Biliran had 184,095 residents in the 2024 census (PSA 2024 Census of Population (POPCEN 2024), reference date July 1, 2024). That is the most recent official count. There is no 2026 census result, so any 2026 population figure is an estimate.
Biliran covers 536.01 km², per the PSA Philippine Statistical Yearbook figure used on this page.
Biliran has 0 component cities and 8 municipalities (8 LGUs under the province), per PSA's Philippine Standard Geographic Code (2Q 2026), and 132 barangays.
Biliran has no component cities. Its 8 municipalities are Almeria, Biliran, Cabucgayan, Caibiran, Culaba, Kawayan, Maripipi and Naval.
Biliran was created a sub-province of Leyte by Republic Act No. 2141 in 1959, then became a full, independent province not through a dedicated charter act but through Section 462 of the 1991 Local Government Code itself — the same mechanism used by Guimaras — ratified by a May 11, 1992 plebiscite (77.49% in favor). The province has zero chartered cities across its 8 municipalities.
Key industries: Agriculture (coconut, rice, emerging cacao), Geothermal energy exploration, Tourism (Republic Act No. 10409 designates the entire province a Tourism Development Area)
Republic Act No. 10409 (2013) legally declares the entire province a Tourism Development Area, naming six specific development sites and creating a dedicated tourism trust fund. Geothermal exploration has continued intermittently since 1979 — a new international consortium took over the 'Biliran II' project site in August 2024 targeting 50-70 megawatts — though no geothermal power plant has actually been built on the island yet. Biliran sat under the highest typhoon warning signal during Yolanda/Haiyan in 2013 but sustained comparatively limited damage relative to Leyte and Eastern Samar.
Key industries: Agriculture (coconut, rice, emerging cacao), Geothermal energy exploration, Tourism (Republic Act No. 10409 designates the entire province a Tourism Development Area)
More on the regulatory framework: CLUP explainer · RA 7160 explainer · SGLG explainer · full glossary. Working a CLUP review cycle? Run the CLUP readiness self-check or see CLUP compliance monitoring.
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