Economic growth in the Dominican Republic in 2025 is heading towards an estimated 2.5%, according to figures announced by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD). The moderate result corroborates a year of ups and downs that left the Monetary Authority in a wait-and-see position regarding the country’s economic expansion.
For this reason, the Central Bank is not surprised that the Monetary Fund is also forecasting 2026 to be more dynamic, with the GDP growth rate projected to rise to around 4.5% when external conditions normalize and domestic financial constraints are somewhat eased. Despite the current scenario of headwinds, however, the BCRD and the IMF are in agreement about the source of the challenges. For the BCRD, they respond to “a complex international scenario of strong volatility and tightened global financial conditions, together with a slowdown in tourism.” In other words, three main factors have hampered the country’s productive pace throughout the year. Nevertheless, it is not all bad news. In fact, there have been some segments that have not only sustained the momentum but have also kept the Dominican economy in gear one month after another. These are the Dominican Republic’s most dynamic sectors in 2025, according to monthly data released by the BCRD, which can also provide relevant information to understand economic growth in the Dominican Republic in 2025.
January: A solid start for several productive areas
January 2025 began on a positive note. The Dominican Republic’s economy expanded 2.2% during the month, with several activities reaching high figures. First, agriculture recorded growth of 4.7%, driven by good climatic conditions, high yields in the principal crops, and stable prices. Free zone manufacturing also stood out, growing 3.9% amid a recovery in demand from the United States and the advance of logistics modernization efforts inside the industrial parks. Local manufacturing also reached 3.2%, with the more vigorous production of food, beverages, and construction materials, while the services sector maintained a firm performance (3.1%), benefiting from finance, telecommunications, and business support activities. January was, therefore, a banner month for an economy that saw much more variability in other months, but which, despite everything, had important pillars contributing to growth in the Dominican Republic.
February: continued high figures in some productive engines
February’s Monthly Economic Activity Indicator (IMAE) only grew 1.5% over the previous month, indicating a slower pace, as was to be expected after a strong January. In any case, several areas of activity continued to present positive results. Agriculture (4.6%) was already showing some slowdown, but continued to be on an upward trajectory. Local manufacturing (2.8%) also continued on an uptrend, underpinned by stable domestic demand. Financial services (8.4%) experienced one of the strongest growth rates of the month, driven by greater credit activity. Transport and storage (3.9%) also benefited from more freight transport and improvements in logistics corridors. Thus, February also highlights the segments that registered the most stable figures.
March: turbo mode in the first quarter
March, on the other hand, recorded the highest performance in the first quarter. GDP expanded 5.4% over the same month a year earlier, showing a large increase propelled by four major productive areas. Construction activity, for example, grew 14.5%, supported by public infrastructure works and a renewed dynamism in private investment in housing and commercial construction. Free zones also posted an expansion of 11.3%, with textile, medical device, and electronic manufacturing as the main drivers. Financial intermediation also recorded growth of 11.3%, consolidating itself as one of the economy’s most dynamic pillars. Commerce grew 8.9% as well, thanks to higher household consumption and greater inventories of both retail and wholesale operations. In short, March was the most vigorous month of the first half of the year.
April: support for growth in key services
In April, the economy continued to expand, but at a more moderate pace, with a 2.5% increase over the same month a year earlier. The main contributors to this performance were financial services (9.6%), which continued their high upward streak; agriculture (4.8%), supported by livestock and basic grains production; transport and storage (4.8%), which benefited from improved mobility and commercial traffic; and commerce (3.6%) and real estate services (3.4%), two sectors that traditionally also tend to reflect greater economic confidence over the medium term. In short, April confirmed that key services, especially finance and logistics, were playing a central role in the Dominican economy’s resilience.
May: an unexpected month for mining
May, in turn, was the month when mining stood out in the most spectacular way. Mining and quarrying grew by 21%, supported by higher exports of ferronickel, gold, and construction aggregates. Agriculture also grew 5.4%, following its positive performance. National manufacturing also expanded by 2.8%, in line with greater industrial activity. Construction growth, meanwhile, stood at 1.9%, showing signs of tempering after its March high. With these results, economic growth in May was 3.1%.
Mid-year: productive balance sheet for the first semester
At the end of the first semester, the Dominican economy registered GDP growth of 2.4%, supported by agriculture (4.9%), mining and quarrying (2.3%), national manufacturing (1.6%), and free zones (1.2%). Thus, the first semester ended with evidence that, despite the global uncertainty, the most traditional export-oriented and primary production sectors are the ones that had the most weight in supporting the Dominican Republic’s economic growth.
July: new boosts for mining and free zones
In July, total economic activity increased 2.9%, and growth for January–July averaged 2.4%. The sectors that contributed the most growth during the month were mining and quarrying (21%), which continued to benefit from an extraordinary boost in exports; free zones (7.1%), which also maintained their advantage from stable demand; construction (3.8%), supported by continued infrastructure commitments; and the services sector (2.7%) and agriculture (1.8%), which continued to show solid growth contributions.
August and September: months of mixed performance
In August, growth was more modest, at 2.3%. The main sectors that lost momentum were construction and manufacturing, as they were affected by high financing costs and the slowdown of some investment projects. In September, however, several activities experienced a recovery in their results. Agriculture (3.9%), mining and quarrying (3.7%), financial services (7.4%), and tourism (3.3%) supported a growth of 2.2% in that month, highlighting the impact of increased financial activity and sustained demand in tourism, despite some earlier setbacks.
October: A slower ending to the period
In October, growth finally slowed to 2.0%, bringing to an end a period that, from the first quarter of 2025, was characterized by some bursts of dynamism and other months of adjustment. A fact that serves to further illustrate the uneven path of economic growth in the Dominican Republic in 2025.
Takeaways
The Dominican Republic’s economic growth in 2025 was uneven, but some productive engines stood out and played a key role in mitigating more pronounced slowdowns in activity. Such was the case of agriculture, mining, free zones, financial services, and construction. Despite the global pressure factors and the cooling of tourism, these segments have shown signs of resilience and flexibility that have favored the stabilization of the overall economy. In fact, these activities may also become catalysts for a more vigorous and widespread expansion in 2026 if some of the predictions materialize, such as stronger external demand, an easing of domestic financial constraints, and the normalization of investment.