| variable | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 2.45 | 6.01 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.97 | 2.2 | 5.0 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
| CPI % | 24.25 | 11.02 | 15.19 | 3.85 | 3.49 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
| Unemployment rate | - | 7.91 | 7.75 | 6.65 | 7.13 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Debt/GDP % | - | 14.93 | 33.15 | 37.1 | 49.04 | 60.5 | 58.8 | 59.0 | 58.3 | 56.7 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | -3.02 | -2.45 | -1.93 | -6.15 | -2.9 | -3.7 | -3.3 | -1.2 | -1.5 | -1.3 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
The Taino -- indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of Europeans -- divided the island now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but the Haitians conquered and ruled it for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later, they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled and mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the US led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in the presidential election. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years, until international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held.
Area: 48,670 sq km km2
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land
Groups: mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3% (2014 est.)
Languages: Spanish (official)
Religions: Evangelical 50.2%, Roman Catholic 30.1%, none 18.5%, unspecified 1.2% (2023 est.)
Capital: Santo Domingo
Government type: presidential republic
Chief of state: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020)
Head of government: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020)
Description: National Congress of the Republic (Congreso Nacional de la República) - bicameral
surging middle-income tourism, construction, mining, and telecommunications OECS economy; major foreign US direct investment and free-trade zones; developing local financial markets; improving debt management; declining poverty
tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco, electrical components, medical devices
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 4.5% (2024 est.), Industry: 28.7% (2024 est.), Services: 59.8% (2024 est.)
Export partners: USA 52%, Switzerland 7%, Haiti 6%, China 5%, India 3% (2023)
Export commodities: medical instruments, tobacco, gold, garments, power equipment (2023)
Import partners: USA 40%, China 18%, Brazil 4%, Spain 4%, Mexico 3% (2023)
Import commodities: refined petroleum, cars, natural gas, plastic products, crude petroleum (2023)
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Military expenditure: 2024: 0.8% of GDP (2024 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.