Dominican Republic Reports Record Economic Growth in 2025

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic experienced significant economic growth through November 2025, driven by a surge in exports, record foreign direct investment, and substantial job creation, according to official government reports.

Dominican exports reached $13.06 billion between January and November 2025, marking a 10% increase from the previous year. November alone saw $1.12 billion in exports, the strongest performance for that month in 13 years.

Free trade zones spearheaded export activity, accounting for 61% of the total, while the national regime contributed 37%. Key export products included unprocessed gold, electrical circuit breakers, cigars, medical blood pressure instruments, and cotton t-shirts.

The national industrial sector also demonstrated robust performance during 2025, both domestically and internationally. Accumulated internal sales grew 10.9% year-over-year from January to October, rising from 951.07 billion Dominican pesos to 1.05 trillion pesos.

This domestic expansion was complemented by dynamic industrial exports, which totaled $1.86 billion between January and November, a 19.8% increase from the prior year. Iron, steel, cement, and plastics were among the leading industrial export categories, highlighting the sector's growing international market presence.

Employment figures showed substantial gains, with 119,965 new jobs generated across the Dominican economy in 2025. Notably, the free trade zone sector achieved a historic milestone, surpassing 200,000 employees for the first time, reaching 200,134 workers.

Nearly half of the new jobs, 56,873 (47.4%), were concentrated in sectors directly influenced by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Mipymes (MICM), including commerce, industry, and services.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) hit $4.05 billion by September 2025, marking the highest level recorded in three decades. Projections suggest FDI could exceed $4.8 billion by the close of the year.

In efforts to combat illicit trade, the country reported five consecutive years without any deaths from adulterated alcohol. In 2025, the Center for Control of Illicit Trade (Ceccom) seized 93.1 million units of illicit goods. The Dominican Republic ranked 50th out of 158 countries in the 2025 Tracit Index, indicating its relatively low vulnerability to illicit trade.

Internally, the MICM concluded 2025 with a "Great Place to Work" certification and maintained five ISO standards, solidifying its reputation as a regional leader in efficient public management and institutional quality.