Dominican Economy Grows 4.6% in July 2026

The Dominican Republic's economy demonstrated robust growth in July 2026, with the monthly economic activity indicator (IMAE) registering a 4.6% year-on-year increase. This performance brings the average expansion for the first seven months of the year to 4.5%, according to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD).

The economic upswing was significantly influenced by strong performances in construction, manufacturing supplying that sector, and mining. Services as a whole also played a crucial role, with notable contributions from hotels, bars, restaurants, and financial services. Specifically, the real value-added in construction grew by 8.1%, while manufacturing in free zones expanded by 5.5% and local manufacturing by 3.7%. The agricultural sector grew 1.9%, and overall services saw a 4.8% increase.

However, the mining sector experienced a contraction of 15.9% in July, attributed to reduced extraction volumes of gold and silver. Despite this, the construction sector's growth was propelled by both private investment projects and increased public investment, reflected in higher sales of key construction materials. Institutional improvements aimed at streamlining and increasing transparency in the approval of new projects also contributed positively. Furthermore, credit for construction saw a substantial year-on-year increase of 18.2% by the end of July, amounting to over 28 billion pesos more than in the same period of 2025.

The services sector, particularly hotels, bars, and restaurants, benefited from a rise in non-resident arrivals by air. In July 2026, the country welcomed 921,682 tourists, a 6.7% increase compared to July 2025. The cumulative number of international visitors through airports reached 5,885,025 during January-July 2026, marking a 9.4% growth over the previous year. Financial services also showed strong performance, growing by 8.4%.