Barangay Soa

Barangay Soa forms part of Malinao, a municipality in Albay, and is classified as a small barangay.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Soa had a population of 1,470. This made it the 15th largest of 29 barangays in Malinao by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Soa accounted for approximately 3.10% of the total population of Malinao, which stood at 47,395 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Soa changed from 1,352 to 1,470, a shift of +8.7% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Malinao. Barangay Soa is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Malinao is a municipality comprising 29 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Soa, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Albay, which contains 720 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Soa ranks 357th by 2020 population. Albay is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Barangay Soa is governed by an elected Sangguniang Barangay composed of a Punong Barangay and seven kagawads, with the Sangguniang Kabataan representing the youth. The next BSKE, set for Monday, November 2, 2026, will elect officials to four-year terms as provided under Republic Act No. 12232.