Destinations › Caribbean · The Destination Index · universal template · every figure sourced
Dominican Republic.
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti. 48,670 sq km and 11,520,487 people, 1,288 km of coastline, tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall.
Region · CaribbeanPopulation · ~11,520,487Languages · Spanish, Haitian Creole, Samana EnglishEco Index · 58/100 · Weak
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
The History of the Dominican Republic.
Dominican living heritage is anchored in merengue and bachata, both born on the island and now danced daily and worldwide. Afro-Dominican traditions run deep through palos or atabales drumming, the processional gaga of the sugar bateyes and the Cocolo dance drama of San Pedro de Macoris.
Where the name comes from
The Taíno called the island Quisqueya and Ayiti. The republic takes its name from Santo Domingo, itself named for Saint Dominic. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: rugged highlands and mountains threaded with fertile valleys. Its high point is Pico Duarte, 3,098 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Quisqueya
Hispaniola was first inhabited around 5000 BC. By the time of contact the island was organised into five cacicazgos, chiefdoms held by caciques including Guacanagarix, Guarionex and Cayacoa. The Taino called the island Quisqueya, land for which there is none better. Their stone axes, carved cemis and ceremonial ball courts survive at the Museo del Hombre Dominicano, whose collection holds the largest quantity of cultural material from the first inhabitants of Hispaniola.
How it got here
Enriquillo, Lemba, and three roots
Within two generations of 1492 the five chiefdoms were destroyed by warfare, forced labour and disease. The cacique Enriquillo led a fourteen-year rebellion from the Bahoruco mountains between 1519 and 1533, the best known Indigenous rebellion of the early Caribbean, ending in a negotiated peace. African maroon leaders including Sebastian Lemba held territory of their own. The national museum names Lemba, Las Casas and Enriquillo as the three roots of Dominican culture: African, Spanish and Taino. Independence was declared on 27 February 1844.
The timeline
c. 5000 BC
The island is settled.
Hispaniola is first inhabited, among the earliest settlement anywhere in the Caribbean. ↗
Before 1492
Quisqueya.
The Taino called the island Quisqueya, land for which there is none better, and called themselves Quisqueyanos. ↗
Before 1492
Five cacicazgos.
The island was organised into five chiefdoms. Guacanagarix held the north-west, Guarionex the north-east and Cayacoa the south-eastern Higuey, alongside Maguana and Xaragua. ↗
Before 1492
Carving, cemis and ball courts.
Taino stone axes, carved cemis representing deities and ancestors, and ceremonial ball courts survive at the Museo del Hombre Dominicano in Santo Domingo, which holds the largest quantity of cultural material from the first inhabitants of Hispaniola. ↗
1492
Contact.
A Spanish expedition reaches the island and founds the first sustained European settlement in the Americas. ↗
1492 to 1542
The destruction of the cacicazgos.
Within roughly two generations the five chiefdoms were destroyed, through warfare, forced labour and introduced disease. ↗
1519 to 1533
Enriquillo's rebellion.
The Taino cacique Enriquillo led a fourteen-year rebellion in the Bahoruco mountains, the best known Indigenous rebellion of the early Caribbean, ending in a negotiated peace. He is a national figure in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. ↗
1500s
Sebastian Lemba.
African maroon leaders including Sebastian Lemba held territory against colonial forces. The Museo del Hombre Dominicano names Lemba, Las Casas and Enriquillo as the three roots of Dominican culture: African, Spanish and Taino. ↗
1821 and 1844
Independence.
A first independence from Spain is followed by Haitian rule, then independence declared on 27 February 1844. ↗
1973
The national museum opens.
The Museo del Hombre Dominicano opens in Santo Domingo on 12 October 1973, holding the largest quantity of cultural material from the first inhabitants of Hispaniola. ↗
Nature and Biodiversity in the Dominican Republic.
26.2 per cent of land and 13.3 per cent of marine territory were protected in 2024, and both figures have fallen, marine sharply from 17.3 per cent in 2022 and 2023. Forest cover is 45 per cent and rising. The question is whether any of it is working, and the honest answer is that mostly nobody has checked.
Is wild Dominican Republic protected? 26.3% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Dominican Republic?
Forest cover46.7%
Terrestrial protected area26.3%
Marine protected area13.3%
160 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Hispaniola endemics: solenodon, hutia, palmchat, Ridgway's hawk
The watchlist
ThreatenedRidgway's Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedEretmochelys imbricataCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedBrain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedGiant Window Pane Palm (Reinhardtia paiewonskiana)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedMillepora complanataCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedBrain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Dominican Republic. GBIF holds 457 verified occurrence records.
Eretmochelys imbricata
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Dominican Republic. GBIF holds 6 verified occurrence records.
Brain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Dominican Republic. GBIF holds 10 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Dominican Republic filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
National park in La Vega, mapped and named in the open record for Dominican Republic. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in the Dominican Republic.
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Only 45.3 per cent had safely managed drinking water, meaning available when needed, on the premises and free from contamination.
Does the Dominican Republic have enough fresh water? Under pressure
45.3% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: Bahia de las Aguilas in Jaragua National Park, one of the most crystalline beaches
How much fresh water does the Dominican Republic have, per person?
2,092 m³
Dominican Republic
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Dominican Republic withdraws about 7,137 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 39.6% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as medium water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 83%, homes and towns 9%, industry 7%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Dominican Republic beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: Law 225-20 from Oct 2025, poorly complied with; Law 98-25 phases it through 2026 and 2027.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 13% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Cabarete Beach Houses, Playa Bucanye, Playa Chiquita, Playa De Los Gringos, Playa Ermita, Playa Guayacanes, Playa Isla Catalina, Playa Juan Dolio. That is 17 named beaches in the public record for Dominican Republic, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
43.0%
of people have safely managed sanitation
43.0% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Dominican Republic doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Humpback whales in Samana Bay mid-January to late March (peak February, ~2,000 whales). Sea-turtle nesting March–November on Saona Island and the south-east.
Nearshore
Protected water
13.3% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Bahia de las Aguilas in Jaragua National Park, one of the most crystalline beaches.
The record
Measured
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
Dominican Republic scored 71 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 120th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
13%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
160 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Cleanest water
here
Bahia de las Aguilas in Jaragua National Park, one of the most crystalline beaches.
Is the tap water safe in Dominican Republic?
45.3% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 2,092 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 4 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 39.5% of what the Dominican Republic renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is past the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply is being pushed towards its limit.
Seaweed on the beaches. Sargassum regularly washes up on Dominican beaches. In February 2023 the Ministry of Environment set up a multisector table to manage it, with the ministries of tourism, health and economy and the navy, after the seaweed stopped bathers, fishers and boats using parts of the Caribbean coast. In October 2025 the vice minister for coastal and marine resources, José Ramón Reyes, said the country had received nearly 900,000 tonnes so far that year, reaching all parts of the country, including Puerto Plata and Bahía de las Águilas for the first time. State brigades work to contain it, and hotels pay for their own barriers and clean ups. In December 2025 the UN Environment Assembly adopted a resolution on sargassum put forward by the Dominican Republic, backed by Barbados and Jamaica.
When is the best time to visit Dominican Republic? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
.
How much fresh water does Dominican Republic actually have?
Nature renews about 2,092 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks the Dominican Republic 81 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
This is where the Dominican Republic is genuinely world class. On the Ministry of Agriculture's own accounting, 2024 production gave 90 per cent self sufficiency against estimated consumption, so only around a tenth of food is imported by volume. Rice self sufficiency is 106 per cent.
Where does the food in Dominican Republic come from?
17.3% imported
about US$5,131m a year
On the plate: Rice, red and black beans and plantains form the core (national dish 'La Bandera'), plus cassava, taro, sweet potato, yam, maize, bananas, peanuts and coconut.
How often each food is on the plate
Share of people eating each one regularly. These overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Rice60%
Black beans51%
Cassava33%
Taro24%
Sweet potato15%
2 of 10
bites are imported
Dominican Republic buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$5,131m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 17.2% of everything the Dominican Republic buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 4.6% of the economy and 51.5% of the land is agricultural, of which 20.2% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in the Dominican Republic? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined63.7%
Diabetes17.6%
We found no official national count. A study of the diabetic foot clinic at the National Institute of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition (INDEN) in Santo Domingo reviewed the records of the 447 adults admitted in 2015 and found that 46 per cent of the men and 51 per cent of the women had an amputation. Source: Bonilla and others, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, 2019.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 63.3%.
Can the Dominican Republic feed itself?
21.7%
Arable land
51.5%
Agricultural land
386,383
Farmers
2,411,151
Arable acres
4.6%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Signature export crops: sugar, cocoa and coffee
Feeding itself
This is where the Dominican Republic is genuinely world class. On the Ministry of Agriculture's own accounting, 2024 production gave 90 per cent self sufficiency against estimated consumption, so only around a tenth of food is imported by volume.
Certification
The best organic record in the region by a distance, and it is the FAO saying so rather than us. On FAO key statistics dated 2015, the Dominican Republic was the world's largest producer of organic bananas, accounting for more than 55 per cent of global organic banana production, with around 12,000 hectares and over 1,000 growers, and roughly 95 per cent of its organic banana exports going to the EU, supplying nearly half that market. Total Dominican banana exports have since fallen to 255,000 tonnes in 2024 and an estimated 250,000 tonnes in 2025.
Water for crops
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 51.5% of the country is agricultural land and 20.2% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Dominican Republic are sugarcane, bananas, papayas, plantains and cooking bananas, avocados and watermelons (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: El Parquecito Market, Elias Piña Mercado, MERCADO NUEVO, Mercado Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Mercado Publico, Mercado Público de Jarabacoa. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Checked kitchens from the directory: Jardin Verde to Jardin Verde is a restaurant in Dominican Republic. See its verified sustainability rating and review to help; Yao Veggie Garden to Yao Veggie Garden is a 100% plant based restaurant in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. See its verified sust. Every kitchen listed here is checked for how plant-based the menu really is before it earns its place.
The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Per-person emissions are moderate at about 2.9 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting relatively low consumption rather than a clean grid (Our World in Data). Natural gas at close to 40% and coal at nearly a third still anchor generation. Renewable capacity is being added but the system stays fossil-dependent.
What powers the Dominican Republic?
Renewable 23.8%Fossil 76.2%
The transmission grid is the full responsibility of ETED, a state owned company. Most power plants are private: 86 per cent of generation capacity was privately owned, excluding self generation, with Haina, Itabo and AES among the largest generators. EdeEste, one of the distribution companies, is half owned by the state and half by a fund operated by AES. The Electricity Superintendence (SIE), set up by the 2001 Electricity Law as an autonomous regulator, oversees the sector. Distribution losses have long been high, reaching 48.2 per cent in 2005. Much of this record dates from the late 2000s, and only about 17 per cent of electricity came from renewable sources in 2021 (World Bank).
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.99 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
3 tonnes
The grid
The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Per-person emissions are moderate at about 2.9 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting relatively low consumption rather than a clean grid (Our World in Data).
Pollution
The Dominican Republic scores lowest of anywhere we cover on this pillar, and the record explains why. Law 225-20 prohibited the free distribution of single use plastic bags and the use of expanded polystyrene, but carried a five year grace period that only expired on 2 October 2025.
Water stress
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
What pollutes most here
1The gridThe share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.82.9%
2IndustryGold mining (Pueblo Viejo, one of the world's largest gold mines).named
3AirModelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.13.73
4On the recordThe Dominican Republic scores lowest of anywhere we cover on this pillar, and the record explains why.
What has the Dominican Republic promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today17.1% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target26.3% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target13.3% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 17.1% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 82.9% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.99 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.19 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.81 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.23 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.11 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.37 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to the Dominican Republic emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
SingaporeSydneyDubaiJohannesburgFrankfurt
.
Firsts on climate finance. The Green Climate Fund lists 13 projects involving the Dominican Republic, with US$117 million of GCF financing, plus US$7.6 million in readiness support. All of them are shared with other countries, including an ecosystem based adaptation project for the Central American Dry Corridor and the arid zones of the Dominican Republic (FP174) and the CAMBio II adaptation investment programme (FP097), both run through the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in the Dominican Republic.
Data centres
4
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
23.8 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in the Dominican Republic?
Almost everything a machine here consumes is burned fossil fuel.
Renewable 23.8%Fossil 76.2%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 17.1% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Dominican Republic has 4 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in La Caleta (1), Santo Domingo Este (1), LA VEGA (1), alongside 4 internet exchanges (IX-DO, STIX.DO, PIT DOMINICANO, Azteca Telecom). Named sites include NETWORK ACCESS POINT DEL CARIBE (PCSD), KIO Santo Domingo 1 (SDO1), ECOM, CEMO DC.
Where the cables land. 5 landing points · Cacique, Haina, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana
60% residents to 40% visitors across a year. 7,550,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,520,487 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Dominican Republic
2,748k
Visitors a year
0.2
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is the Dominican Republic?· for every $100 the Dominican Republic earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2020 peak
$ 72The worst year on the IMF record. The Dominican Republic owed $72 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2020signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 58What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 50The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $50 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 the Dominican Republic earns in a year, it owes $58 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in the Dominican Republic?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 7,550,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,520,487 residents, 0.7 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play
2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in the Dominican Republic is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published
3
The plate
Food is 17.2% of everything the Dominican Republic imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, bananas, papayas, plantains, avocados, rice, watermelons, vegetables, pineapples, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in
4
The power
82.9% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away
5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave the Dominican Republic. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think
6
Pay the bank first
The Dominican Republic owes $58 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$58 per $100
7
Community chest
Tourism earns 37.7% of everything the Dominican Republic makes from exports (2018, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
37.7% of exports
8
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.19 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.19 t CO2
9
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$136 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$136bn
GDPUS$127.4bn
Agriculture, share of GDP4.6%
Visitors a year2,748,000
Visitors per resident0.2
Residents~11,520,487
Agriculture
Farming is 4.6% of the economy. This is where the Dominican Republic is genuinely world class.
Natural materials
We scored this a one and we were wrong, because we searched in the wrong language. In Spanish the Dominican Republic turns out to have the deepest material vocabulary in the Caribbean, and the clearest story anywhere of plastic replacing it.
Energy
The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Per-person emissions are moderate at about 2.9 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting relatively low consumption rather than a clean grid (Our World in Data).
Who owns the biggest hotels in the Dominican Republic?
By rooms · company records and press.
Sonido del Yaque Eco-lodgeOwnership not publishednot published
Tubagua Eco Lodge · ~10 roomsIndependentnot published
Serafina Villas and Organic Farm Dominican Republic · ~3 roomsnot published
Visitors, over time
20156,129k
20166,769k
20177,296k
20187,551k
20197,550k
20202,748k
International tourism receipts run at about US$7.56 billion in 2018 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 37.7% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
All-inclusive resortForeign-owned hotel and tourist restaurantsLocally owned stay and local restaurantsGuesthouse, markets and public transport
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Practical swaps that keep more of your money in the local economy
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking rice, red and black beans and plantains form the core (national dish 'la bandera'); plus cassava, taro, sweet potato, yam, maize, bananas, peanuts and coconut. over imported menus. The checked list →
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours →
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays →
4. Use the transport residents use Long distance buses between cities are good and cheap; a driver for the mountains and cacao country
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
swipe →
First time here
The Dominican Republic is far more than its all inclusive strip. Inland it is mountains, including Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean, and some of the best cacao country in the world, much of it organic and farmer owned.
Best time: December to April is drier and cooler. Humpback whales are in Samaná Bay roughly January to March. Hurricane season runs June to November, and the north coast gets rain year round.
Getting around
Long distance buses between cities are good and cheap; a driver for the mountains and cacao country
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is rice, red and black beans and plantains form the core (national dish 'la bandera'); plus cassava, taro, sweet potato, yam, maize, bananas, peanuts and coconut.. The farmer direct channel here is state run and it works.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Do not drink the tap water. Fewer than half the population has water classed as safely managed, and the national coliform record shows sustained breaches of the country's own potability threshold. Carry a filter bottle and use the refill dispensers.
Expect plastic. The ban's grace period only ran out in October 2025, compliance was poor immediately, and the replacement law phases things through 2026 and 2027. Only 7 per cent of waste is recycled.
The compensation is the food. This is one of the few places in the region that genuinely grows what it eats, so buy at an INESPRE producer market where farmers sell direct, and seek out organic cocoa and bananas at source. Spanish matters far more here than on the English speaking islands.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Sonido del Yaque Eco-lodgeTubagua Eco LodgeSerafina Villas and Organic Farm Dominican Republic
.
Who owns the big hotels
Sonido del Yaque Eco-lodgeOwnership not published
Tubagua Eco LodgeIndependent · 10 rooms
Serafina Villas and Organic Farm Dominican Republic · 3 rooms
None of the 3 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in the Dominican Republic.
How well is the Dominican Republic actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, the Dominican Republic scores 52 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
How well is Dominican Republic run? · each scored out of 100, higher is better
Clean government, scored 48 of 100
Control of corruption scores 48.2 out of 100 (2025, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is below the halfway mark of governments measured.
48
Freedom and rights, scored 64 of 100
Voice and accountability, which measures free expression, free media and the ability to choose a government, scores 64.0 out of 100 (2025, World Bank WGI). Citizens have some room to question their government.
64
Government effectiveness, scored 53 of 100
Government effectiveness, which measures the quality of public services and how well policy is actually delivered, scores 52.8 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Delivery is rated above average.
53
Income equality, scored 39 of 100
The Gini index of income inequality reads 39 (2024, World Bank). Zero is perfect equality and 100 is one person holding everything. Below 40 is the level usually treated as manageable, and the Dominican Republic sits inside it.
39
LGBTQ+ status: MixedSolo female travel: Take care94% adult literacyIndustry to avoid: Gold mining (Pueblo Viejo, one of the world's largest gold mines)
What is daily life in Dominican Republic really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Long distance buses between cities are good and cheap; a driver for the mountains and cacao country
✓Air quality, measured Modelled annual mean 13.73. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
✓Where the air is cleanest Constanza, a high altitude mountain valley with the coolest air on Hispaniola
·Tap water Not drinkable
✓What to drink Rivers, aquifers and reservoirs, with a large gap between basic and safely managed supply
✓Plastic rules Law 225-20 from Oct 2025, poorly complied with; Law 98-25 phases it through 2026 and 2027
✓Sockets and voltage Type A/B/C, 120V
94.0%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 3.8% of GDP and 20.9% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 76.4% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2023 to 2025).
Made in the Dominican Republic.
We scored this a one and we were wrong, because we searched in the wrong language. In Spanish the Dominican Republic turns out to have the deepest material vocabulary in the Caribbean, and the clearest story anywhere of plastic replacing it. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Dominican Republic actually sells the world
World Bank figures show the Dominican Republic earned US$15.6 billion from goods exports in 2025, while it spent US$29.8 billion on goods imports, almost twice as much.
Made now · natural materials
Higuera calabash vessels
Worked in Dominican Republic from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Higüera or jigüera to eat from
Worked in Dominican Republic from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Calabazo to carry water. Cut in half it winnowed rice
Worked in Dominican Republic from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Could make · grown here already
Rice
Grown in Dominican Republic and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Black beans
Grown in Dominican Republic and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Plantains form the core (national dish 'La Bandera')
Grown in Dominican Republic and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. the Dominican Republic produces about US$127 billion a year, which is roughly US$11,059 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 4.6% of that, while food is 17.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 20.2% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
A living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Bachata
A living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Palos
A living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Atabales Afro-Dominican drumming
A living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Gaga processional musicA living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Cocolo dance dramaA living tradition of Dominican Republic, still practised rather than archived.
Does Dominican Republic protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Dominican living heritage is anchored in merengue and bachata, both born on the island and now danced daily and worldwide. Afro-Dominican traditions run deep through palos or atabales drumming, the processional gaga of the sugar bateyes and the Cocolo dance drama of San Pedro de Macoris. The Congos of Villa Mella maintain a centuries-old brotherhood devoted to the Holy Spirit.
Who it belongs to. The living tradition to know is the Cofradía del Espíritu Santo de los Congos de Villa Mella, in Santo Domingo Norte. UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 and inscribed it on the Representative List in 2008. It was founded in the sixteenth century by enslaved Africans and mestizos, is open to all, and its musicians play drums called congos with their hands.
Only here. The FAO names the Dominican Republic the world's largest producer of organic bananas, at more than 55 per cent of global organic banana production and nearly half the EU organic banana market, on FAO key statistics dated 2015. It is also long established as a foremost exporter of organic cocoa..
Three futures for the Dominican Republic, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Brugal Ron Museum (Puerto Plata), Aroma's Museum (Higüey), Mundo King Castle Art Museum (Sosúa), Jewish Museum (Sosúa), Whale Museum of Samana (Samana). OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
+5%
Forest cover
1995: 44.5% → 2024: 46.7%
+46%
Renewable electricity
1995: 11.7% → 2021: 17.1%
+98%
CO2 per person
1995: 1.52 t → 2024: 2.99 t
+52%
Tourist arrivals
1995: 1,806k → 2020: 2,748k
+18%
Protected land
2013: 22.3% → 2025: 26.3%
-58%
Farm workforce
1995: 16.9% → 2025: 7.01%
+48%
Protected sea
2013: 9% → 2025: 13.3%
-3%
Agricultural land
1995: 53.1% → 2024: 51.5%
+27%
Urban population
1995: 57.1% → 2025: 72.5%
+0%
Air pollution
1995: 13.5 µg/m³ → 2023: 13.5 µg/m³
-30%
Fresh water per person
1995: 2,979 m³ → 2022: 2,092 m³
+71%
Adult overweight
1995: 37% → 2022: 63.3%
+17%
Electricity access
1995: 84.8% → 2024: 99.5%
+424%
GDP per person
1995: 2,109 → 2025: 11,059
+46%
Population
1995: 7,888k → 2025: 11,520k
-34%
Renewable energy use
1995: 22.3% → 2021: 14.8%
+44%
Energy per person
1995: 665 kg → 2024: 954 kg
+39%
Protected area, total
2013: 11% → 2025: 15.3%
+6%
Life expectancy
1995: 69.4 yrs → 2024: 73.9 yrs
+16%
Cereal yield
1995: 3,856 kg/ha → 2024: 4,455 kg/ha
+87%
Fertiliser use
1995: 100 kg/ha → 2024: 188 kg/ha
-36%
Rural population
1995: 42.9% → 2025: 27.5%
+88%
Water productivity
2000: 7.28 $/m3 → 2022: 13.7 $/m3
-6%
Health spending
2000: 4.88% → 2023: 4.6%
+5%
Forest area
1995: 21,490 km2 → 2025: 22,575 km2
+305%
Electric power use
1995: 503 kWh → 2024: 2,034 kWh
+59%
Emissions: Agriculture
1990: 6.3 MtCO2e → 2023: 10 MtCO2e
+57%
Emissions: Building
1990: 1.38 MtCO2e → 2023: 2.16 MtCO2e
+336%
Emissions: Electricity/Heat
1990: 3.3 MtCO2e → 2023: 14.2 MtCO2e
+283%
Emissions: Energy
1990: 7.9 MtCO2e → 2023: 30.3 MtCO2e
+800%
Emissions: Industrial Processes
1990: 0.49 MtCO2e → 2023: 4.41 MtCO2e
+548%
Emissions: Manufacturing/Construction
1990: 0.81 MtCO2e → 2023: 5.25 MtCO2e
+255%
Emissions: Transportation
1990: 2.37 MtCO2e → 2023: 8.41 MtCO2e
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 44.5% to 46.7% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) (AG.LND.FRST.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS?locations=DO
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 11.7% to 17.1% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) (EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS?locations=DO
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 1.52 t to 2.99 t across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions excluding LULUCF per capita (t CO2e/capita) (EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5?locations=DO
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 1,806k to 2,748k across 25 recorded years.
World Bank, International tourism, number of arrivals (ST.INT.ARVL) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.ARVL?locations=DO
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 22.3% to 26.3% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) (ER.LND.PTLD.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.LND.PTLD.ZS?locations=DO
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 16.9% to 7.01% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=DO
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 9% to 13.3% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) (ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS?locations=DO
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 53.1% to 51.5% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Agricultural land (% of land area) (AG.LND.AGRI.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.AGRI.ZS?locations=DO
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 57.1% to 72.5% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, Urban population (% of total population) (SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=DO
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 13.5 µg/m³ to 13.5 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic meter) (EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3?locations=DO
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 2,979 m³ to 2,092 m³ across 27 recorded years.
World Bank, Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita (cubic meters) (ER.H2O.INTR.PC) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC?locations=DO
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 37% to 63.3% across 27 recorded years.
World Bank, Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) (SH.STA.OWAD.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.OWAD.ZS?locations=DO
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 84.8% to 99.5% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Access to electricity (% of population) (EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?locations=DO
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 2,109 to 11,059 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, GDP per capita (current US$) (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=DO
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 7,888k to 11,520k across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=DO
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 22.3% to 14.8% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank, Renewable energy consumption (% of total final energy consumption) (EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS?locations=DO
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 665 kg to 954 kg across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Energy use (kg of oil equivalent per capita) (EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE?locations=DO
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 11% to 15.3% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank, Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area) (ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS?locations=DO
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 69.4 yrs to 73.9 yrs across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (SP.DYN.LE00.IN) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=DO
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 3,856 kg/ha to 4,455 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Cereal yield (kg per hectare) (AG.YLD.CREL.KG) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.YLD.CREL.KG?locations=DO
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 100 kg/ha to 188 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land) (AG.CON.FERT.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.CON.FERT.ZS?locations=DO
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 42.9% to 27.5% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, Rural population (% of total population) (SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=DO
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 7.28 $/m3 to 13.7 $/m3 across 22 recorded years.
World Bank, Water productivity, total (constant 2015 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal) (ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD?locations=DO
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 4.88% to 4.6% across 23 recorded years.
World Bank, Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS?locations=DO
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 21,490 km2 to 22,575 km2 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank, Forest area (sq. km) (AG.LND.FRST.K2) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.K2?locations=DO
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 503 kWh to 2,034 kWh across 29 recorded years.
World Bank, Electric power consumption (kWh per capita) (EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC) https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC?locations=DO
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 6.29 to 10.0 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 1.38 to 2.16 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 3.26 to 14.22 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 7.9 to 30.27 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.49 to 4.41 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.81 to 5.25 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 2.37 to 8.41 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, recycling at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
Current path
Every line above is a recorded World Bank series for this country. The current path is simply those series continuing at the pace already measured.
Computed from: recorded series, no policy change assumed
Best case
The pledges are met on their own stated timetables and the weakest pillars are lifted to match the strongest. Dominican Republic already shows it can do this: heritage scores 5/5.
Computed from: each published target delivered on its own date
What the best case actually asks for
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominican Republic's record. The country produces more than 7 million tonnes of solid waste a year of which only 7 per cent is recycled, at 650 kg per person, with 240 open dumps.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominican Republic's record. The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025).
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift water
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominican Republic's record. Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in the Dominican Republic.
Who is in charge of Dominican Republic now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Luis Abinader
President
Luis Abinader is the head of government of Dominican Republic, in office since 16 August 2020. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 64.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 63.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026) https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
Control of corruption scores 48.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 42.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026) https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
Political stability and absence of violence scores 76.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 76.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026) https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
Rule of law scores 56.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 55.9 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026) https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
Regulatory quality scores 58.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 59.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026) https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
Luis AbinaderPresident
National Congress of the Republic (Congreso Nacional de la República)Legislature, bicameral
Last election19 May 2024
Constitution2015
Government typepresidential republic
Dominican Republic national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
2050
Net zero
In Policy Document
Net-zero target as recorded by Climate Watch. Status: In Policy Document (12/28/2020) ↗
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
swipe →
Is Dominican Republic sustainable?
Dominican Republic scores 58 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. The Dominican Republic is far more than its all inclusive strip. Inland it is mountains, including Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean, and some of the best cacao country in the world, much of it organic and farmer owned. The Samaná peninsula fills with humpback whales in winter, and the north coast has a long tradition of small, independent, low impact places to stay.
Is the water in Dominican Republic safe and plentiful?
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Only 45.3 per cent had safely managed drinking water, meaning available when needed, on the premises and free from contamination.
Can Dominican Republic feed itself?
This is where the Dominican Republic is genuinely world class. On the Ministry of Agriculture's own accounting, 2024 production gave 90 per cent self sufficiency against estimated consumption, so only around a tenth of food is imported by volume. Rice self sufficiency is 106 per cent.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Dominican Republic?
The farmer direct channel here is state run and it works. INESPRE, the price stabilisation institute under the Ministry of Agriculture, buys directly from producers and runs producer markets, mobile shops and fairs so farmers sell their harvest straight to the customer without intermediaries. The network has been extended across Santo Domingo, Santiago, San Cristóbal and other municipalities.
How much of Dominican Republic is actually protected?
26.2 per cent of land and 13.3 per cent of marine territory were protected in 2024, and both figures have fallen, marine sharply from 17.3 per cent in 2022 and 2023. Forest cover is 45 per cent and rising. The question is whether any of it is working, and the honest answer is that mostly nobody has checked.
What wildlife is left in Dominican Republic?
Frame this correctly. The Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti, so most of what gets called endemic here is endemic to the island rather than to the country. The Hispaniolan solenodon is a shrew like mammal found only on Hispaniola and one of the very few venomous mammals in the world.
Is Dominican Republic on clean energy?
The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Per-person emissions are moderate at about 2.9 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting relatively low consumption rather than a clean grid (Our World in Data). Natural gas at close to 40% and coal at nearly a third still anchor generation.
How polluted is Dominican Republic?
The Dominican Republic scores lowest of anywhere we cover on this pillar, and the record explains why. Law 225-20 prohibited the free distribution of single use plastic bags and the use of expanded polystyrene, but carried a five year grace period that only expired on 2 October 2025. Eight days after the deadline, businesses across the country were still handing out plastic bags free.
Does recycling work in Dominican Republic?
The worst waste record we have documented anywhere. The country produces more than 7 million tonnes of solid waste a year of which only 7 per cent is recycled, at 650 kg per person, with 240 open dumps. Duquesa, the largest open air landfill in the country and among the largest in Latin America, takes between 5,000 and 5,500 tonnes a day from Greater Santo Domingo.
Is the farming in Dominican Republic organic?
The best organic record in the region by a distance, and it is the FAO saying so rather than us. On FAO key statistics dated 2015, the Dominican Republic was the world's largest producer of organic bananas, accounting for more than 55 per cent of global organic banana production, with around 12,000 hectares and over 1,000 growers, and roughly 95 per cent of its organic banana exports going to the EU, supplying nearly half that market. Total Dominican banana exports have since fallen to 255,000 tonnes in 2024 and an estimated 250,000 tonnes in 2025. Peer reviewed work also names it the foremost exporter of organic bananas and cocoa.
Are there natural materials and craft in Dominican Republic?
We scored this a one and we were wrong, because we searched in the wrong language. In Spanish the Dominican Republic turns out to have the deepest material vocabulary in the Caribbean, and the clearest story anywhere of plastic replacing it. The higüero is the calabash gourd, and the vessel changes name with its job: a morro to drink from, a higüera or jigüera to eat from and to wash rice in, a calabazo to carry water.
Is there living culture in Dominican Republic?
The living tradition to know is the Cofradía del Espíritu Santo de los Congos de Villa Mella, in Santo Domingo Norte. UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 and inscribed it on the Representative List in 2008. It was founded in the sixteenth century by enslaved Africans and mestizos, is open to all, and its musicians play drums called congos with their hands.
What heritage does Dominican Republic keep alive?
Dominican living heritage is anchored in merengue and bachata, both born on the island and now danced daily and worldwide. Afro-Dominican traditions run deep through palos or atabales drumming, the processional gaga of the sugar bateyes and the Cocolo dance drama of San Pedro de Macoris. The Congos of Villa Mella maintain a centuries-old brotherhood devoted to the Holy Spirit.
So is the Dominican Republic actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 26.3%.
What is not: sea protected at 13.3% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 17.1% against a 100% mark.
Dominican Republic sits 63 of 77 at 58/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking →
What is Dominican Republic particularly good at?
✓Heritage, scored 5/5. Dominican living heritage is anchored in merengue and bachata, both born on the island and now danced daily and worldwide. Afro-Dominican traditions run deep through palos or atabales drumming, the processional gaga of the sugar bateyes and the Cocolo dance drama of San Pedro de Macoris. The Congos of Villa Mella maintain a centuries-old brotherhood devoted to the Holy Spirit. Ancestral spirituality endures in Dominican Vudu and the 21 Divisiones, practised alongside popular Catholicism.
✓Plant-based eating, scored 4/5. The farmer direct channel here is state run and it works. INESPRE, the price stabilisation institute under the Ministry of Agriculture, buys directly from producers and runs producer markets, mobile shops and fairs so farmers sell their harvest straight to the customer without intermediaries. The network has been extended across Santo Domingo, Santiago, San Cristóbal and other municipalities.
✓Conservation, scored 4/5. 26.2 per cent of land and 13.3 per cent of marine territory were protected in 2024, and both figures have fallen, marine sharply from 17.3 per cent in 2022 and 2023. Forest cover is 45 per cent and rising.
Where does Dominican Republic score worst?
✕Recycling, scored 1/5. The country produces more than 7 million tonnes of solid waste a year of which only 7 per cent is recycled, at 650 kg per person, with 240 open dumps.
✕Energy, scored 1/5. The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025). Per-person emissions are moderate at about 2.9 tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reflecting relatively low consumption rather than a clean grid (Our World in Data). Natural gas at close to 40% and coal at nearly a third still anchor generation. Renewable capacity is being added but the system stays fossil-dependent.
✕Water, scored 2/5. Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Only 45.3 per cent had safely managed drinking water, meaning available when needed, on the premises and free from contamination. That figure has barely moved in five years.
Similar countries doing it better and worse
BelizeScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.70
St Vincent and the GrenadinesScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.70
JamaicaScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.67
Turks & CaicosScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.48
British Virgin IslandsScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.48
St BarthsScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.38
A note from the lens of mother natureswipe →
Recycling, 1/5
The country produces more than 7 million tonnes of solid waste a year of which only 7 per cent is recycled, at 650 kg per person, with 240 open dumps.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Dominican Republic's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Energy, 1/5
The Dominican Republic's electricity mix remains predominantly fossil-based, with roughly 79% from gas and coal and only about 21% from low-carbon sources, though solar at around 9% and wind near 5% are now growing (Low Carbon Power, 2025).
Water, 2/5
Read these two numbers together, because either one on its own misleads. 97.5 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Only 45.3 per cent had safely managed drinking water, meaning available when needed, on the premises and free from contamination.
The Dominican Republic Directory.
Everything on My Ideal World that sits in Dominican Republic, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Dominican Republic
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
46.7
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
26.3
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
13.3
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
17.1
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
3.0
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
160 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
48.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
53.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
56.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
76.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
64.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
38.4 / 100 · 108 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 108 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
52.6 / 100 · 43 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 43 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
62.2 / 100 · 20 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 20 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
30.6 / 100 · 108 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 108 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
70.1 / 100 · 64 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 64 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
59.6 / 100 · 10 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 10 of 111 countries assessed.
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 104 sources across 52 institutions
World Bank19 FIGURES
forest cover 45.0%, 2023
Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
FAO's figures are for 2015; FAO Banana Market Review puts total Dominican banana exports at 255,000 t in 2024 and about 250,000 t in 2025, against US organic banana imports alone of some 640,000 t in 2024 check
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic), Cacao country, the Caribbean's highest peak and whales in Samaná check
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic) corroboration check
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic) corroboration check
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic) corroboration check
Ministerio de Energia y Minas (Dominican Republic) corroboration check
Ministerio de Energia y Minas (Dominican Republic) corroboration check
Instituto Geografico Nacional "Jose Joaquin Hungria Morell" corroboration check
Pereskia quisqueyana (Rosa de Bayahibe), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (plant) check
Pereskia quisqueyana (Rosa de Bayahibe) corroboration check
Juniperus gracilior var. ekmanii, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominican Republic in GBIF occurrence data (conife check
Juniperus gracilior var. ekmanii corroboration check
Categories and Criteria FAQ, Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Dominican Repu check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Dominican Republic, 2025 (78.5%), country-reported check
UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Dominican Republic, 2025 (83.1%), country-reported check
UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Dominican Republic, 2025 (94.7%), country-reported check
Diario Libre3 FIGURES
agricultural imports rise despite self sufficient production check
FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products (QCL), By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Dominican Republic are sugarcane, bananas, papayas, plantains and cooki check
FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products (QCL) corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Dominican Republic, 2025 (46.8%), country-reported check
UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Dominican Republic, 2025 (35.2%), country-reported check
Listin Diario2 FIGURES
Rufina, Martina y el arte de tallar el higuero check
BelizeScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.70
St Vincent and the GrenadinesScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.70
JamaicaScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.67
Turks & CaicosScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.48
British Virgin IslandsScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.48
St BarthsScored on the same twelve pillars as Dominican Republic.38
