Payao is a coastal municipality in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

The municipality has a land area of 192.33 square kilometers or 74.26 square miles which constitutes 5.52% of Zamboanga Sibugay’s total area. Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 34,952. This represented 5.22% of the total population of Zamboanga Sibugay province, or 0.90% of the overall population of the Zamboanga Peninsula region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 182 inhabitants per square kilometer or 471 inhabitants per square mile.

Type: municipality

Island group: Mindanao

Region: Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)

Province: Zamboanga Sibugay

Barangay count: 29

Postal code: 7008

Coastal/Landlocked: coastal

Marine waterbodies: Sibuguey Bay [Moro Gulf, Celebes Sea]

Philippine major island(s): Mindanao

Area: (2013) 192.33 km2 (74.26 sq mi)

Population: (2020) 34,952

Density : (2020) 182 / km2 (471 / sq mi)

Coordinates: 7° 35′ North, 122° 48′ East (7.5858, 122.8023)

Estimated elevation above sea level: 3.9 meters (12.7 feet)