Dominican Republic | Facts & Information

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

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Facts & Figures

  • President: Luis Abinader (2020)

    Land area: 18,680 sq mi (48,381 sq km); total area: 18,815 sq mi (48,730 sq km)

    Population (2022 est.): 10,694,700

    Capital and largest city (2022 est.): Santo Domingo, 2.201 million

    Other large city: Santiago de los Caballeros, 1.2 million

    Monetary unit: Dominican Peso

    National name: República Dominicana

    Current government officials

    Language: Spanish

    Ethnicity/race: mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3% (2014 est.)

    National Holiday: Independence Day, February 27

    Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

    Literacy rate: 93.8% (2016 est.)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2020 est.): $184.45 billion; per capita $17,000. Real growth rate: 4.6%. Inflation: 1.8%. Unemployment: 5.1%. Arable land: 16.6%. Agriculture: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs. Labor force: 4.732 million (2016 est); services 64.7%, industry 20.8%, agriculture 14.4% (2014 est.). Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco. Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver. Exports: $14.44 billion (2020 est.): ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods. Imports: $20.19 billion (2020 est.): foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Major trading partners: United States 54%, Switzerland 8%, Canada 5%, India 5%, China 5% (2019).

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 1,155,493 (2020 est.); mobile cellular: 8,989,587 (2020 est.). Broadcast media: combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media; 1 state-owned TV network and a number of private TV networks; networks operate repeaters to extend signals throughout country; combination of state-owned and privately owned radio stations with more than 300 radio stations operating (2019). Internet hosts: 404,500 (2012). Internet users: 8,352,886 (2020).

    Transportation: Railways: total: 496 km (2014). Roadways: total: 19,705 km; (2002). Ports and harbors: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo. Airports: 36 (2021).

    International disputes: Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better work.

    Major sources and definitions