Malay, Aklan

The municipality of Malay was created on June 15, 1949, through Republic Act No. 381 and the help of Claro Tumaob, out of various portions of the municipality of Buruanga, then part of Capiz. It included the following barangays: Malay (poblacion, seat of local government), Dumlog, Cabulihan, Balusbos, Nabaoy, Cubay Norte, Cubay Sur, Cogon, Argao, Sambiray, Caticlan, Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, Yapak, Motag, Napaan, and Naasog.^[6] On April 25, 1956, Malay became part of the newly created province of Aklan, along with several other towns of Capiz.^[7]

It was hit severely by typhoon Seniang on December 9–10, 2006, with much destruction and damage of homes and infrastructure.

Malay is located at 11°53′59″N 121°54′34″E. It is 72 kilometers (45 mi) west of the provincial capital Kalibo, 230 kilometers (140 mi) from Iloilo City, 158 kilometres (98 mi) from Roxas City, and 168 kilometers (104 mi) from San Jose de Buenavista.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 66.01 square kilometers (25.49 sq mi) ^[8] constituting 3.62% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometer (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Barangays

Malay is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.^[10] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

There are 3 barangays (Balabag, Manoc-Manoc, and Yapak) of which situated within Boracay Island, while the rest are in mainland Malay.

More information PSGC, Barangay ...

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2024[11]		2010[12]
060412001	Argao	1.9%	1,213	1,078	▴	0.85%
060412002	Balabag	19.0%	12,296	11,076	▴	0.76%
060412003	Balusbus	2.0%	1,310	1,079	▴	1.41%
060412004	Cabulihan	1.2%	772	575	▴	2.15%
060412005	Caticlan	12.4%	7,996	6,593	▴	1.40%
060412006	Cogon	1.0%	647	544	▴	1.26%
060412007	Cubay Norte	0.6%	365	327	▴	0.80%
060412008	Cubay Sur	2.2%	1,423	1,153	▴	1.53%
060412009	Dumlog	1.3%	863	768	▴	0.84%
060412010	Manocmanoc	22.9%	14,810	12,526	▴	1.22%
060412017	Motag	1.4%	903	818	▴	0.72%
060412011	Naasog	0.9%	557	547	▴	0.13%
060412012	Nabaoy	1.9%	1,220	1,025	▴	1.26%
060412013	Napaan	1.2%	751	649	▴	1.06%
060412014	Poblacion	2.0%	1,304	1,255	▴	0.28%
060412015	Sambiray	2.1%	1,382	1,031	▴	2.14%
060412016	Yapak	8.0%	5,161	4,767	▴	0.57%
	Total		64,723	45,811	▴	2.52%

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In the 2024 census, Malay had a population of 64,723 people.^[17] The population density was 980 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,500/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of Malay

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}

Because of its robust tourism industry, the municipality is now considered as having the strongest economy in all the municipalities in the region and the richest municipality of Aklan in terms of income and annual budget.^[26] The tourism industry of Boracay became the catalyst of its economic growth that brought many investors to come and helped transform the municipality into a cosmopolitan area.

The Malay Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[28]

Malay is being served by 2 hospitals both of which are owned by the government.

• Don Ciriaco Tirol Memorial Hospital
• Malay Municipal Hospital