Capital

Dominican Republic

name: Santo Domingo

geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named after Saint Dominic de GUZMAN (1170-1221), founder of the Dominican Order

Citizenship

Dominican Republic

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Dominican Republic

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 2 years

Legal system

Dominican Republic

civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system

Suffrage

Dominican Republic

18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age can vote; note - members of the armed forces and national police by law cannot vote

Area

Dominican Republic

total: 48,670 sq km

land: 48,320 sq km

water: 350 sq km

Land use

Dominican Republic

agricultural land: 51.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 24.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 40.8% (2018 est.)

other: 7.7% (2018 est.)

Location

Dominican Republic

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Age structure

Dominican Republic

0-14 years: 25.92% (male 1,422,186/female 1,374,991)

15-64 years: 67.09% (male 3,675,934/female 3,563,597)

65 years and over: 6.99% (2023 est.) (male 355,069/female 398,967)

Birth rate

Dominican Republic

17.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Dominican Republic

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Dominican Republic

Spanish (official)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Dominican Republic

total population: 71.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 70.3 years

female: 73.5 years

Major urban areas - population

Dominican Republic

3.524 million SANTO DOMINGO (capital) (2023)

Median age

Dominican Republic

total: 28.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 28.7 years

female: 29 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Dominican Republic

20.9 years (2013 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Dominican Republic

-2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Dominican Republic

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

Population growth rate

Dominican Republic

0.73% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Dominican Republic

2.13 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Dominican Republic

urban population: 84.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Dominican Republic

4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Dominican Republic

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 15 years (2017)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Dominican Republic

-3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Dominican Republic

15.89% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Dominican Republic

5.027 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Dominican Republic

21% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Dominican Republic

8.5% (2021 est.)

6.13% (2020 est.)

6.36% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Dominican Republic

37.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

34.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Dominican Republic

8.24% (2021 est.)

3.78% (2020 est.)

1.81% (2019 est.)

Exports

Dominican Republic

$20.509 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$14.889 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.509 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Dominican Republic

United States 51%, Haiti 7%, Switzerland 7%, India 5%, Netherlands 3% (2021)

Imports

Dominican Republic

$28.541 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$20.302 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$24.526 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Dominican Republic

United States 42%, China 19%, Spain 3%, Brazil 3%, Mexico 3% (2021)

Airports

Dominican Republic

36 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Dominican Republic

total: 1,031,858 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Dominican Republic

total: 9.35 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 85% (2021 est.)

Railways

Dominican Republic

total: 496 km (2014)

standard gauge: 354 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 142 km (2014) 0.762-m gauge

Roadways

Dominican Republic

total: 19,705 km (2002)

paved: 9,872 km (2002)

unpaved: 9,833 km (2002)

Telephones - fixed lines

Dominican Republic

total subscriptions: 1,154,670 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Dominican Republic

total subscriptions: 9,735,351 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 88 (2021 est.)

Disputes - international

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic-Haiti: unauthorized migration and smuggling from impoverished and unstable Haiti has led to occasional border tensions and increased security by the Dominican Republic, including the construction of a fence and the deployment of military troops