Map of Dominican Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background: The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the US led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in the presidential election. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was later reelected to a second consecutive term. Following the two-term presidency of Danilo MEDINA Sanchez (2012-2020), Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona was elected president in July 2020.


top of page


Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 70 40 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 48,670 km²
Land: 48,320 km²
Water: 350 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 376 km
Border countries: (1) Haiti 376 km

Coastline: 1,288 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf:

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

Elevation
Highest point: Pico Duarte 3,098 m
Lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
Mean elevation: 424 m

Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 51.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 16.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 24.8% (2018 est.)
Forest: 40.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 7.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,980 km² (2018)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 860 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 660 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 7.56 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 23.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo


top of page


Population
Distribution: coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central): 10,790,744 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.73% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 21% (2019 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Dominican(s)
Adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups: mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3% (2014 est.)
Note: respondents self-identified their race; the term "indio" in the Dominican Republic is not associated with people of indigenous ancestry but people of mixed ancestry or skin color between light and dark

Languages: Spanish (official)
Major-language samples:

Religions: Roman Catholic 44.3%, Evangelical 13%, Protestant 7.9%, Adventist 1.4%, other 1.8%, atheist 0.2%, none 29.4%, unspecified 2% (2018 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.92% (male 1,422,186/female 1,374,991)
15-64 years: 67.09% (male 3,675,934/female 3,563,597)
65 years and over: 6.99% (2023 est.) (male 355,069/female 398,967)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.8
Youth dependency ratio: 42.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.6
Potential support ratio: 8.6 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 28.7 years
Female: 29 years

Population growth rate: 0.73% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 17.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

Urbanization
Urban population: 84.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 3.524 million SANTO DOMINGO (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 7.59 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 25.26 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 8.1 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.9 years (2013 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 107 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 22.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 25.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 19.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 70.3 years
Female: 73.5 years

Total fertility rate: 2.13 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 62.8% (2019)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 98.3% of population
Improved rural: 91.7% of population
Improved total: 97.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 1.7% of population
Unimproved rural: 8.3% of population
Unimproved total: 2.8% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.9% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 1.45 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 5.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 10.6% (2020 est.)
Male: 14.6% (2020 est.)
Female: 6.5% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3% (2019)

Education expenditures: 4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.2%
Male: 95.1%
Female: 95.3% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 15 years (2017)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 20.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 16.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 27.9%


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Dominican Republic
Conventional short form: The Dominican
Local long form: República Dominicana
Local short form: La Dominicana
Former: Santo Domingo (the capital city's name formerly applied to the entire country)
Etymology: the country name derives from the capital city of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic)

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Santo Domingo
Geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after Saint Dominic de GUZMAN (1170-1221), founder of the Dominican Order

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regiones, singular - region); Cibao Nordeste, Cibao Noroeste, Cibao Norte, Cibao Sur, El Valle, Enriquillo, Higuamo, Ozama, Valdesia, Yuma

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Constitution
History: many previous (38 total); latest proclaimed 13 June 2015
Amendments: proposed by a special session of the National Congress called the National Revisory Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority approval by at least one half of those present in both houses of the Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as fundamental rights and guarantees, territorial composition, nationality, or the procedures for constitutional reform, also requires approval in a referendum

Legal system: civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Dominican Republic
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 2 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age can vote; note - members of the armed forces and national police by law cannot vote

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020); Vice President Raquel PENA de Antuna (since 16 August 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020); Vice President Raquel PENA de Antuna (since 16 August 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
Elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a maximum of two consecutive terms); election last held on 5 July 2020 (next to be held in 2024); note - the 2020 election was rescheduled from 17 May to 5 July 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia (consists of a minimum of 16 magistrates); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 13 judges); note - the Constitutional Court was established in 2010 by constitutional amendment
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and a non-governing party congressional representative; Supreme Court judges appointed for 7-year terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 9-year terms
Subordinate courts: courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace; special courts for juvenile, labor, and land cases; Contentious Administrative Court for cases filed against the government

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP, AOSIS, BCIE, Caricom (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OAS, OIF (observer), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA (associated member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia GUZMÁN DE HERNÁNDEZ (since 18 January 2021)
In the us chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-6,280
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 265-8,057
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Alexander TITOLO
From the us embassy: Av. Republica de Colombia #57, Santo Domingo
From the us mailing address: 3,470 Santo Domingo Place, Washington DC 20,521-3,470
From the us telephone: (809) 567-7,775
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are ultramarine blue (hoist side) and vermilion red, and the bottom ones are vermilion red (hoist side) and ultramarine blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by a laurel branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon; in the shield a bible is opened to a verse that reads "Y la verdad nos hara libre" (And the truth shall set you free); blue stands for liberty, white for salvation, and red for the blood of heroes

National symbols: palmchat (bird); national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: "Himno Nacional" (National Anthem)
Lyrics/music: Emilio PRUD'HOMME/Jose REYES
Note: adopted 1934; also known as "Quisqueyanos valientes" (Valient Sons of Quisqueye); the anthem never refers to the people as Dominican but rather calls them "Quisqueyanos," a reference to the indigenous name of the island

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


top of page


Economy overview: surging middle-income tourism, construction, mining, and telecommunications OECS economy; major foreign US direct investment and free-trade zones; developing local financial markets; improving debt management; declining poverty

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 69.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 12.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 24.8% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -28.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 33% (2017 est.)
Services: 61.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar cane, bananas, papayas, rice, plantains, milk, avocados, fruit, pineapples, coconuts

Industries: tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco, electrical components, medical devices

Industrial production growth rate: 15.89% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 5.027 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 20.6% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 16.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 27.9%

Population below poverty line: 21% (2019 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 39.6 (2020 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.9%
Highest 10%: 37.4% (2013 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $12.804 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $14.511 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 12.39% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: United States 51%, Haiti 7%, Switzerland 7%, India 5%, Netherlands 3% (2021)
Commodities: gold, medical instruments, cigars, low-voltage protection equipment, iron alloys, clothing (2021)

Imports:
Partners: United States 42%, China 19%, Spain 3%, Brazil 3%, Mexico 3% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, natural gas, jewelry, vaccines and cultures (2021)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
Access electrification-total population: 98.1% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 98.7% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 94.8% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 5.674 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 16,330,980,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.576 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 1.791 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 2.359 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 148,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 24,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 16,060 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 108,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 1,602,759,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 28.657 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 1,586,449,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 26.808 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 4.713 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 18.951 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 3.144 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 39.016 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,143,893 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 9,735,351 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 88 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media; 1 state-owned TV network and a number of private TV networks; networks operate repeaters to extend signals throughout country; combination of state-owned and privately owned radio stations with more than 300 radio stations operating (2019)

Internet
Country code: .do
Users total: 9.35 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 85% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1,031,858 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2020 est.)


top of page


Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic: Army of the Dominican Republic (Ejercito de la Republica Dominicana, ERD), Navy (Armada de República Dominicana or ARD; includes naval infantry), Dominican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana, FAD) (2023)
Note 1: in addition to the military, the Ministry of Armed Forces directs the Airport Security Authority and Civil Aviation (CESAC), Port Security Authority (CESEP), the Tourist Security Corps (CESTUR), and Border Security Corps (CESFRONT); these specialized corps are made up of military and civilian personnel and assist the National Police, which is under the Ministry of Interior

Military service age and obligation: 16-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (ages vary slightly according to military service; under 18 admitted with permission of parents); recruits must have completed primary school and be Dominican Republic citizens (2023)
Note: as of 2022, women made up approximately 22% of the active duty military

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HI

Airports: 36 (2021)
With paved runways: 16
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 20
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 27 km gas, 103 km oil (2013)

Railways
Total: 496 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 354 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 142 km (2014) 0.762-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 19,705 km (2002)
Paved: 9,872 km (2002)
Unpaved: 9,833 km (2002)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 38 (2022)
By type: container ship 1, general cargo 2, oil tanker 1, other 34

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Puerto Haina, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo
Oil terminals: Punta Nizao oil terminal
Cruise ports: La Romana
Container ports teus: Caucedo (1,265,459); Haina (495,243)
Lng terminals import: Andres LNG terminal (Boca Chica)


top of page


Disputes international: Dominican Republic-Haiti: unauthorized migration and smuggling from impoverished and unstable Haiti has led to occasional border tensions and increased security by the Dominican Republic, including the construction of a fence and the deployment of military troops

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 115,283 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)
Stateless persons: 133,770 (2016); note - a September 2013 Constitutional Court ruling revoked the citizenship of those born after 1929 to immigrants without proper documentation, even though the constitution at the time automatically granted citizenship to children born in the Dominican Republic and the 2010 constitution provides that constitutional provisions cannot be applied retroactively; the decision overwhelmingly affected people of Haitian descent whose relatives had come to the Dominican Republic since the 1890s as a cheap source of labor for sugar plantations; a May 2014 law passed by the Dominican Congress regularizes the status of those with birth certificates but will require those without them to prove they were born in the Dominican Republic and to apply for naturalization; the government has issued documents to thousands of individuals who may claim citizenship under this law, but no official estimate has been released

Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for cocaine shipments to the United States and Europe in the Caribbean; some drugs are consumed locally.