Barangay Bana-ao

Classified as a very small barangay, Barangay Bana-ao is one of the administrative divisions of Santa Margarita in Samar, Eastern Visayas, Philippines.

According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Barangay Bana-ao had a population of 247. This made it the 19th largest of 36 barangays in Santa Margarita by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Bana-ao accounted for approximately 0.92% of the total population of Santa Margarita, which stood at 26,816 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Bana-ao changed from 274 to 247, a shift of -9.9% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with contracting populations in Santa Margarita. The Philippine Statistics Authority classifies Barangay Bana-ao as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Santa Margarita is a municipality comprising 36 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Bana-ao, 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 Bana-ao ranks 815th 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.