Dominican economy grows 5.6% in September, 4.6% year-to-date

The Dominican Republic's economy expanded 5.6% year-on-year in September, bringing the cumulative growth for the first nine months of 2026 to 4.6%, according to Central Bank Governor Héctor Valdez Albizu. The central bank projects the economy will close the year with a 4.5% expansion, one of the highest in Latin America Source: Diario Libre.

Key drivers

Construction led the growth with an 8.2% increase in the January–September period, and a notable 18% surge in September alone, fueled by private investment and government capital spending Source: Diario Libre. Other sectors contributing to the expansion include:

• Services (4.6% overall), with financial services up 7.8% and hotels, bars, and restaurants up 5.6% Source: Hoy.
• Mining and quarrying (5.2%), local manufacturing (3.4%), and free zones (2.8%) Source: Diario Libre.

External sector and inflation

In the first nine months, the country received US$9.7 billion in tourism income, US$9.4 billion in remittances, and US$4.5 billion in foreign direct investment Source: Hoy. For the full year, total foreign exchange inflows are projected at US$50.7 billion, with FDI covering about four times the current account deficit Source: Diario Libre.

Annual inflation moderated to 5.12% in September, down from a peak of 5.67% in June, and is expected to fall within the target range in the fourth quarter Source: Hoy. The central bank's quasi-fiscal deficit dropped to 0.5% of GDP in 2025, the lowest since the 2003 financial crisis Source: Hoy.

Labor market

Employment data for the second quarter of 2026 show 5,271,005 people employed, a 2.9% year-on-year increase adding about 147,000 new jobs. The informal employment rate stood at 53.8%, below the Latin American median, while the open unemployment rate was 5.3% Source: Hoy.