Barangay Canatuan

Barangay Canatuan forms part of Motiong, a municipality in Samar, and is classified as a very small barangay.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Canatuan had a population of 251. This made it the 18th largest of 30 barangays in Motiong by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Canatuan accounted for approximately 1.64% of the total population of Motiong, which stood at 15,276 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Canatuan changed from 250 to 251, a shift of +0.4% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with slowly expanding populations in Motiong. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Canatuan as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Motiong is a municipality comprising 30 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Canatuan, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Samar, which contains 951 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Canatuan ranks 803rd by 2020 population. Samar is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

The barangay's legislative and executive affairs are handled by a Punong Barangay and the Sangguniang Barangay, elected nationwide during the Barangay and SK Elections. The next BSKE is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, following the synchronized election schedule set by COMELEC Resolution No. 11191.