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Countries › Dominican Republic › Guide › 2. Macro and country context › External sector: trade, the balance of payments, FDI, remittances and the investment position

External sector: trade, the balance of payments, FDI, remittances and the investment position

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Status: Changing

The Dominican Republic runs a large goods deficit paid for by tourism, remittances and foreign investment. The current account deficit narrowed to US$1,748.3 million in 2025, about 1.4 percent of GDP, and the first half of 2026 showed a US$527.5 million surplus, which is seasonal. Foreign direct investment reached US$5,032.8 million in 2025, the highest in the Banco Central series from 2010, and US$3,275.1 million in the first half of 2026, led by the United States, Spain, energy and tourism. Remittances were US$9,489.8 million in January to September 2026. A US duty of 12.5 percent since July 2026 is the main new trade risk.

USD figures use the Banco Central de la República Dominicana reference selling rate of RD$60.9007 per US dollar for 29 October 2026, the latest row in its published rate file on the verification date. Conversions are for orientation only. Official US dollar figures published by the Banco Central or the budget are shown as published.

Key facts

Current account balance 2025-1748.3 USD millionBalanza de pagos MBP6, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Current account balance 2025 to GDP-1.4 %Balanza de pagos MBP6 and PIB en dólares, own calculation, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Current account balance, first half 2026527.5 USD millionBalanza de pagos trimestral, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
FDI inflows 20255032.8 USD millionFlujos de IED por país, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
FDI inflows, first half 20263275.1 USD millionFlujos de IED por país, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Remittances received 202511866.3 USD millionBalanza de pagos MBP6, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Remittances January to September 20269489.8 USD millionNota de remesas de 11 de octubre de 2026, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
United States share of formal remittances, September 202680.9 %Nota de remesas de 11 de octubre de 2026, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Net international investment position-81855.7 USD millionPosición de inversión internacional trimestral, as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Gross international reserves15239.9 USD millionBanco Central, Reservas internacionales, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Goods exports 202515697.3 USD millionExportaciones anuales MBP6, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Free zone share of goods exports 202554.5 %Exportaciones anuales MBP6, own calculation, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
Goods imports 202529792.9 USD millionBalanza de pagos MBP6, as of 2025-12-31 · in force
US Section 301 rate on Dominican products12.5 %USTR notice of 23 July 2026, as of 2026-07-24 · in force

The rule

1. The Banco Central compiles the balance of payments. In 2025 the current account deficit was US$1,748.3 million, down from US$3,705.5 million in 2024 and US$6,548.9 million in 2022. That is about 1.4 percent of 2025 GDP.Ley 183-02 art. 15; Banco Central, Balanza de pagos MBP6, BOP sheet, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: Deficit fell by US$1,957.2 million between 2024 and 2025.
2. The structure of the account: in 2025 the goods deficit was US$14,095.6 million and the services surplus US$8,787.7 million, with travel income of US$11,321.4 million. Primary income was a deficit of US$7,741.5 million, mainly profits and interest paid abroad. Secondary income was a surplus of US$11,301.1 million, mainly remittances.Banco Central, Balanza de pagos MBP6, BOP sheet, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30
3. In the first half of 2026 the current account showed a surplus of US$527.5 million: a surplus of US$813.2 million in the first quarter and a deficit of US$285.7 million in the second. Total exports rose 16.7 percent. The Banco Central projects a deficit of about 1 percent of GDP for the full year.Banco Central, Balanza de pagos trimestral; governor's report, BOP_TRIM, 2026-10-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30
4. Goods exports were US$15,697.3 million in 2025: US$7,145.1 million national and US$8,552.2 million from free zones. Medical and surgical equipment from the free zones was the largest item at US$2,859.3 million, followed by gold at US$2,417.6 million. Exports reached about US$13,200 million in January to September 2026, with free zone and national exports each above US$6,500 million.Banco Central, Exportaciones anuales MBP6; governor's report, Exportaciones Anuales, 2026-10-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30
5. Goods imports were US$29,792.9 million in 2025, of which US$25,039.4 million national and US$4,753.5 million for free zones.Banco Central, Balanza de pagos MBP6, BOP sheet, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30
6. Remittances received were US$11,866.3 million in 2025 and US$9,489.8 million in January to September 2026, up 6.5 percent. In September 2026 the United States was the source of 80.9 percent of formal flows and Spain of 6.2 percent. The bank projects about US$12,600 million for 2026.
Example: US$1,057.1 million in September 2026. / About RD$64,378 million at the reference selling rate.Banco Central, nota de remesas de 11 de octubre de 2026; Remesas MBP6, Nota de prensa, 2026-10-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
7. Foreign direct investment was US$5,032.8 million in 2025, up from US$4,523.2 million in 2024, and US$3,275.1 million in the first half of 2026, up 7.6 percent. The governor reported about US$4,500 million for January to September and the bank projects about US$5,300 million for 2026.Banco Central, Flujos de IED por país y actividad, IED por país acum, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30
8. By sector, tourism received US$1,288.1 million in 2025, energy US$1,263.3 million and real estate US$915.2 million. By origin Spain led with US$1,086.1 million, the United States had US$1,042.8 million and the European Union as a whole US$1,805.5 million. In the first half of 2026 the United States led with US$1,218.9 million and energy with US$872.5 million.Banco Central, Flujos de IED por actividad económica, IED por actividad anual, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30
9. The country is a net debtor to the world. At 30 June 2026 external assets were US$50,054.9 million and liabilities US$131,910.6 million, a net position of minus US$81,855.7 million, against minus US$78,950.7 million at December 2025.Banco Central, Posición de inversión internacional trimestral, PII trimestral 2026, 2026-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-30
10. The Banco Central expects total foreign currency inflows above US$50,700 million in 2026: remittances about US$12,600 million, exports above US$17,200 million, tourism above US$12,200 million, FDI above US$5,300 million and about US$3,300 million of other service exports. These are projections.Banco Central, nota de remesas de 11 de octubre de 2026, Nota de prensa, 2026-10-11 official text · verified 2026-10-30
11. On 23 July 2026 USTR announced Section 301 action on products of the Dominican Republic and other economies, setting a 12.5 percent rate for the Dominican Republic with exceptions in the annexes. Details, headings and the CAFTA textile carve out are on the US tariffs page.USTR, Notice of Action, Section 301 forced labor investigations, section 15, 2026-07-23 official text · verified 2026-10-30 · changed: New US duty of 12.5 percent on most Dominican goods from 24 July 2026.
Item20242025Jan to Jun 2026
Current accountdeficit 3,705.5deficit 1,748.3surplus 527.5
Goods balancedeficit 15,874.2deficit 14,095.6deficit 7,024.9
Goods exports13,928.815,697.38,720.1
Goods imports29,803.029,792.915,745.0
Travel income10,972.411,321.46,709.8
Primary income balancedeficit 6,426.0deficit 7,741.5deficit 4,005.9
Remittances received10,859.011,866.36,219.3
Direct investment4,523.25,032.83,275.1

Balance of payments in US$ million. Source: Banco Central, Balanza de pagos MBP6 and trimestral.

Activity2025Jan to Jun 2026
Tourism1,288.1660.2
Energy1,263.3872.5
Real estate915.2416.6
Commerce and industry589.9340.2
Free zones437.9223.2
Mining262.0441.0
Financial195.495.9
Telecommunications54.688.9
Transport26.4136.6
Total5,032.83,275.1

FDI by activity in US$ million. Source: Banco Central. Negative values reflect losses, disinvestment or dividends.

Origin2025Jan to Jun 2026
United States1,042.81,218.9
Spain1,086.1470.6
Brazil145.3140.9
France180.889.3
Panama268.083.3
Mexico266.31.9
Italy371.63.2

FDI by origin in US$ million. Source: Banco Central.

ProductRegime2025
Medical and surgical equipmentFree zone2,859.3
GoldNational2,417.6
Tobacco manufacturesFree zone1,337.1
Electrical productsFree zone1,169.1
Textile apparelFree zone855.3
Jewelry and relatedFree zone546.9
Cacao beansNational339.0
Cacao beansFree zone323.1

Main goods exports 2025 in US$ million. Source: Banco Central, Exportaciones anuales MBP6.

Worked example

  • Why tourism and remittances matter. In 2025 goods exports of US$15,697.3 million paid for 53 percent of goods imports of US$29,792.9 million. Travel income of US$11,321.4 million and remittances of US$11,866.3 million together were worth US$23,187.7 million, about 1.6 times the goods deficit of US$14,095.6 million.
  • Profit outflows against new money. FDI income paid abroad was US$5,441.3 million in 2025 and new direct investment was US$5,032.8 million. The first figure includes reinvested earnings, so it does not mean cash left the country in full, but it shows how large the stock of foreign capital has become.
  • Reading the projection. If FDI reaches US$5,300 million and the current account deficit is 1 percent of a US$145,026.7 million GDP, or about US$1,450 million, FDI would cover the deficit about 3.7 times. The bank says about four times.

Step by step

  1. 1. Use the quarterly balance of payments for the full picture, the monthly remittance note for the latest flow and the reserves table for month end cover.
  2. 2. Register foreign capital with ProDominicana for your own investment; see the FX section.
  3. 3. If you export to the United States, check whether your goods fall under the 12.5 percent duty or an annex exception before pricing.
  4. 4. Treat figures for the current year as preliminary. The Banco Central marks 2024 to 2026 as subject to revision.

Common traps

  • Reading the first half surplus as a trend. The first quarter is peak tourist season. The bank itself projects a full year deficit of about 1 percent of GDP.
  • Reading remittance geography as where families live. The Distrito Nacional took 51.2 percent of September flows in the bank's figures, and the note does not say this is the final recipient's home.
  • Quoting three free zone export totals as if they conflict. The Banco Central shows US$8,552.2 million for 2025 and the free zone council US$8,548.6 million. Use one source per table.
  • Reading a low FDI line as an exit. Mining showed minus US$301.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. The data file says negative values reflect losses, disinvestment or dividends, so one quarter says little.
  • Assuming Argentina is a meaningful channel. The Banco Central's table does not list it separately among FDI sources, and there is no income tax treaty, so flows run at domestic rates. See The Argentine Thread for the Argentine side.

Sources

Related pages

Related: Dominican Republic country profile · live dashboard · central bank and release calendar · our posts on X

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