A sovereign state sharing its northern coast with the North Atlantic Ocean and its southern shores overlapping the Caribbean Sea, the Dominican Republic shipped US$12.92 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount results from an 31.2% increase from $9.85 billion five years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the total value of goods exported from the Dominican Republic accelerated by 8.3% compared to $11.93 billion during 2023.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2024, the Dominican peso depreciated by -5.3% against the US dollar since 2020 and diluted by -5.8% from 2023 to 2024. The Dominican Republic’s weaker local currency makes exports from the Dominican Republic paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers starting from American currency.

By value, the Dominican Republic’s top 3 most valuable export products are electro-medical equipment including xrays, unwrought gold, then the cigars or cigarettes product category. Added together, that trio of major exports accounted for over one-third (34.3%) of the Caribbean island’s overall shipments in 2024.

Dominican Republic’s Top Trading Partners

The latest available country-specific data shows that 89.1% of products exported from Dominican Republic was bought by importers in: United States of America (59% of the Dominican total), Haiti (6.9%), Switzerland (5.8%), India (5.3%), Netherlands (3.1%), mainland China (2.8%), Canada (1.4%), Germany (1.1%), Spain (1%), Belgium (0.93%), Jamaica (0.9%) and the United Kingdom (0.8%).

From a continental perspective, 61% of Dominican Republic’s exports by value was delivered to North American countries while 14.4% was sold to importers in Europe. Dominican Republic shipped another 13.7% worth of goods to buyers in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

Smaller percentages went to customers in Asia (10.7%), Oceania (0.2%) mostly Australia and New Zealand, then Africa (0.1%).

Given the Dominican Republic’s population of 10.8 million people, its total $12.92 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $1,200 for every resident in the Caribbean nation–the third largest populated country in the Caribbean. That dollar metric exceeds the average 1,120 per capita one year earlier for 2023.

Dominican Republic’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Dominican global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Dominican Republic.

1. Gems, precious metals: US$2.3 billion (17.8% of total exports)
2. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $1.9 billion (14.9%)
3. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $1.34 billion (10.4%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: $1.2 billion (9.3%)
5. Plastics, plastic articles: $699.5 million (5.4%)
6. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $621.2 million (4.8%)
7. Pharmaceuticals: $535.2 million (4.1%)
8. Cocoa: $464.3 million (3.6%)
9. Fruits, nuts: $342.3 million (2.6%)
10. Iron, steel: $200.7 million (1.6%)

The Dominican Republic’s top 10 export product categories generated almost three-quarters (74.5%) of the overall value of its global shipments.

Cocoa was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 120.1% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place for improving export sales was optical, technical or medical apparatus via a 23.3% advance.

Dominican Republic’s shipments of gems and precious metals posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 20.9%, propelled by higher revenues from exported gold.

The leading decliner among Dominican Republic’s top 10 export categories was iron and steel, recording a -59.1% year-over-year drop.

The product groups listed above are at the two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level.

Drilling down to the more detailed four-digit HTS codes, the Dominican Republic’s most valuable exported product in 2024 was electro-medical equipment including x-rays (14.3% of the country’s global total). In second place was unwrought gold (11.8%) trailed by cigars and cigarettes (8.2%), lower-voltage switches or fuses (7%), jewelry (5%), sutures and special pharmaceutical goods (3.7%), knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests (3.5%), cocoa beans (3.3%), unmanufactured tobacco and waste (1.9%), then miscellaneous items made from plastic (also 1.9%).

Products Generating Dominican Republic’s Best Trade Surpluses

The following types of Dominican product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: US$1.51 billion (Up by 31.2% since 2023)
2. Gems, precious metals: $1.48 billion (Up by 35.8%)
3. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $836.7 million (Up by 42.9%)
4. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $462.8 million (Down by -7.6%)
5. Cocoa: $412.2 million (Up by 147.2%)
6. Fruits, nuts: $197.1 million (Down by -15%)
7. Ores, slag, ash: $145.9 million (Up by 60.9%)
8. Sugar, sugar confectionery: $41.8 million (Up by 290.9%)
9. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $27.2 million (Reversing a -$30.3 million deficit)
10. Woodpulp: $12.6 million (Up by 239.1%)

The Dominican Republic has notably positive net exports in the international trade optical, technical and medical apparatus, as well as gold under the gems and precious metals category. In turn, these cashflows indicate Dominican Republic’s strong competitive advantages under both product categories.

Products Causing Dominican Republic’s Largest Trade Deficits

The Dominican Republic racked up an overall -US$19.8 billion trade deficit for 2024, expanding by 1.8% from the -$19.4 billion in red ink one year earlier during 2023.

Below are exports from the Dominican Republic that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Dominican Republic’s goods trail Dominican importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$5.4 billion (Down by -5.4% since 2023)
2. Machinery including computers: -$2.8 billion (Up by 21.1%)
3. Vehicles: -$2.7 billion (Up by 4.6%)
4. Plastics, plastic articles: -$1.7 billion (Up by 13.3%)
5. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.2 billion (Up by 6.1%)
6. Iron, steel: -$784.6 million (Up by 68.6%)
7. Cereals: -$757.3 million (Up by 13.7%)
8. Articles of iron or steel: -$742.4 million (Up by 7.3%)
9. Meat: -$604.7 million (Up by 11%)
10. Paper, paper items: -$579.2 million (Down by -3%)

The Dominican Republic incurred highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels including oil category. Red ink flowed most freely for petroleum gases, refined petroleum oils, crude oil and coal.

Dominican Export Companies

Not one Dominican corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.

Wikipedia lists exports-related companies from the Dominican Republic. Selected examples are shown below.

• Barceló Export Import (alcoholic beverages)
• Brugal & Cía. (alcoholic beverages)
• Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (brewery)
• Cervecería Vegana (brewery)
• Grupo Corripio (conglomerate)
• Grupo León Jimenes (brewery)
• Industrias Nacionales (construction materials)
• J. Armando Bermúdez & Co. (alcoholic beverages)
• MATASA (cigars)
• Servicios Aéreos Profesionales (airliner)

 
In macroeconomic terms, Dominican Republic’s total exported goods represent 4.1% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($312.6 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 4.1% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 4.4% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Dominican Republic’s total economic performance, albeit based on a relatively short time period.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Dominican Republic’s unemployment rate averaged 6% for 2024, up from an average 5.305% in 2023 according to International Monetary Fund statistics.

Dominican Republic’s capital city is Santo Domingo, officially named Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

See also Honduras Top 10 Exports, Guatemala’s Top 10 Exports, Costa Rica’s Top 10 Exports, El Salvador’s Top 10 Exports and Panama’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on April 6, 2025

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 6, 2025

EXCHANGE-RATES.org Dominican Peso (DOP) To US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rate History, for 2024. Accessed on April 6, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on April 6, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 6, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 6, 2025

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on April 6, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Dominican Republic. Accessed on April 6, 2025

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on April 6, 2025