As of 01 July 2024, the total population of General Santos City, consisting of both household and institutional residents or persons residing in institutional living quarters stood at 722,059 based on the 2024 Census of Population (2024 POPCEN) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority last year.

The latest population count has been declared official for all purposes by the President of the Philippines through Proclamation No. 973 dated 11 July 2025, pursuant to Republic Act No.10625, or the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013, and Executive Order No.87, series of 2025.

General Santos City has experienced a steady and significant rise in population over the past four census years. In 2010, it recorded 538,086 residents, which grew to 594,446 in 2015 and further increased to 697,315 in 2020.  In 2024, the population reached 722,059, reflecting continuous growth over the 14-year period. (Table 1, Figure 1)

From 2010 to 2015, the population in General Santos City grew at an annual rate of 1.91 percent, which accelerated to 3.41 percent annually between 2015 to 2020. However, from 2020 to 2024, the growth rate slowed down to 0.84 percent per year, indicating a significant deceleration in recent years. (Table 2, Figure 2) 

In terms of population within the region, General Santos City ranked 4th among the provinces/highly urbanized city, with 722,059 persons, representing 16.2 percent of the region’s population as of 01 July 2024. (Figure 3)

The City of General Santos is composed of 26 barangays. Out of the 26 barangays, Calumpang was the most populous in 2024 with 90,480 persons, followed by Labangal (81,223), next by Fatima (78,478), then by San Isidro (66,971) and Lagao 1st & 3rd (56,403). (Table 3, Figure 4)

In 2024, Dadiangas East was the least populous barangay with 3,345 persons, followed by Batolemong (3,776), then by Upper Labay (3,834), Olympog (4,534) and Dadiangas South (4,755). (Table 4, Figure 4)
 

With a total land area of approximately 492.86 square kilometers, the population density of General Santos City in 2024 was posted at 1,465 persons per square kilometer. This represents an increase of 50 persons per square kilometer (3.5%) from the population density of 1,415 persons per square kilometer in 2020. In 2015, there were 1,206 persons residing in every square kilometer of land. (Table 5)
 

The population figures in this report were based on the results of the 2024 POCPEN. Meanwhile, the land areas were based on the 2013 Masterlist of Land Areas of Cities and Municipalities provided to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) by the Land Management Bureau (LMB).