Norala

Norala, officially the Municipality of Norala (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Norala; Maguindanaon: Inged nu Nurala, Jawi: ايڠد نو نورالله; Kinaray-a: Banwa ka Norala; Cebuano: Lungsod sa Norala; Tagalog: Bayan ng Norala), is a municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,682 people.^[5]

Norala
Municipality
Municipality of Norala
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	نورالله
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  "Land of the Dreamweavers" "Rice Bowl of the South"
Motto(s):  Mayad nga Norala, Mayad Gid
Map of South Cotabato with Norala highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Norala Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°33′N 124°40′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Province	South Cotabato
District	2nd district
Barangays	14 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Clemente B. Fedoc
• Vice Mayor	Victor Y. Balayon
• Representative	Ferdinand L. Hernandez
• Electorate	30,468 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	123.20 km2 (47.57 sq mi)
Elevation	103 m (338 ft)
Highest elevation	205 m (673 ft)
Lowest elevation	81 m (266 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	48,499
• Density	390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
• Households	11,385
Economy
• Income class	3rd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	18.82 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 225.3 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 519.5 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 190.7 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	South Cotabato 1 Electric Cooperative (SOCOTECO 1)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	9508
PSGC	1206311000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)83
Native languages	Hiligaynon Cebuano Maguindanao Blaan Tagalog Karay-a
Website	noralascot.gov.ph

History

Norala was created from portions of Dulawan, through Executive Order No. 572 signed by President Elpidio Quirino on March 10, 1953.^[6]

Geography

Barangays

Norala is subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Dumaguil
• Esperanza
• Kibid
• Lapuz
• Liberty
• Lopez Jaena
• Matapol
• Poblacion
• Puti
• San Jose
• San Miguel
• Simsiman
• Tinago
• Benigno Aquino, Jr.

Climate

Climate data for Norala, South Cotabato
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30 (86)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64 (2.5)	45 (1.8)	59 (2.3)	71 (2.8)	140 (5.5)	179 (7.0)	192 (7.6)	198 (7.8)	163 (6.4)	147 (5.8)	113 (4.4)	66 (2.6)	1,437 (56.5)
Average rainy days	12.2	10.3	12.7	15.7	26.0	27.4	28.1	28.2	26.0	26.7	22.9	16.6	252.8
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Norala

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1960	19,579	—
1970	34,131	+5.71%
1975	41,570	+4.03%
1980	47,397	+2.66%
1990	35,566	−2.83%
1995	39,688	+2.08%
2000	40,744	+0.56%
2007	44,070	+1.09%
2010	44,635	+0.46%
2015	46,642	+0.84%
2020	46,682	+0.02%
2024	48,499	+0.92%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11]

Blaan and Maguindanaon are the native inhabitants of the municipality.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Norala

10 20 30 40 2000 39.97 2003 36.66 2006 26.30 2009 33.13 2012 28.52 2015 30.99 2018 24.60 2021 18.82 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]