Together they account for more than 36% of investments, while estimates indicate that by the end of the year FDI will exceed US$4.7 billion.
SANTO DOMINGO.-The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) reported yesterday that, according to preliminary figures for the first half of 2025, foreign direct investment (FDI) reached US$2,892.8 million, increasing 15.3% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The monetary policy authority explains that these flows demonstrate foreign investors' confidence in the Dominican Republic as an investment destination, and why the country has consolidated its position as the leading recipient of foreign investment in the region for the third consecutive year, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It adds that this performance is in line with year-end projections, which estimate that FDI will exceed US$4.7 billion.
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) indicates that the sectoral distribution shows that almost half of FDI inflows went to the tourism and energy sectors. It is important to highlight the growth of the energy sector, which increased its share of FDI from 7.5% in the first half of 2019 to 25.7% in the first six months of 2025, primarily due to Dominican government incentives for renewable. This trend has been highlighted in World Investment Report 2025, which emphasizes that the country has strengthened its position as one of the most attractive destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean for FDI in the renewable energy sector.
Another relevant sector for FDI has been el inmobiliario, whose progress is linked to the country's tourism development, especially after recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The institution notes that, in addition to the increase in FDI flows (15.3%) and remittances (11.2%), the Dominican economy also achieved exports of more than US$7.4 billion in the first half of 2025, increasing by 10.4% over the same period in 2024.
Among exports, gold exports stand out with a 48.3% increase, driven by improved production and record-high prices for the precious metal in international markets. Of total exports, those from free trade zones reached approximately US$4.25 billion, a 2.3% year-on-year increase, suggesting the sector will close the year with record export figures.
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) also highlights that tourism revenues between January and June totaled approximately US$5.8 billion , about US$100 million (1.8%) higher than the revenues for the same period in 2024. This result was mainly due to the increase in tourist arrivals during the first half of the year, which reached 6.1 million visitors by air and sea.
It is worth noting that foreign exchange earnings generated from FDI, remittances, tourism, exports of goods and other services totaled approximately US$23.9 billion in January-June 2025, which contributes to the relative stability of the exchange rate.
The Central Bank reaffirms its commitment to monitoring the current economic environment in order to continue taking the necessary measures to counteract the impact of the challenging international landscape on the Dominican economy, thereby ensuring price and exchange market stability.
