SANTO DOMINGO - During the first quarter of 2025, the construction sector in the Dominican Republic was responsible for the creation of 55,374 direct jobs.
During the aforementioned period, the total investment in building works in the country amounted to $ 74,755.24 million pesos, while 345 permits were granted for the construction of residential, commercial and other projects.
This is detailed by the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (Mivhed), in its bulletin of “Statistics of application and issuance of construction licenses for housing and buildings January-March 2025”.
The report highlights that the main category in terms of total investment was housing, with an amount of RD$49,286,995,736.
The Mivhed points out that during the aforementioned time, the average time to approve issued construction licenses in the Dominican Republic was 145.32 days.
“During the first quarter of 2025, the issuance of building permits showed a significant variation. In the period studied, 122 permits were issued nationwide in January, 120 in February, and 103 in March,” the document states.
Provinces
The provinces with the highest number of licenses issued in January-March 2025 were Santo Domingo with a total of 75, La Altagracia with 68, and the National District with 61. This distribution reflects a relationship with population density, according to projections from the National Statistics Office for 2025, in which Santo Domingo and the National District show the largest projected populations (3,197,686 and 1,080,010, respectively).
He adds that the most populated areas have a greater demand for urban developments to meet housing and commercial needs.
The provinces with the fewest license issuances were Bahoruco, Azua, San Juan, and María Trinidad Sánchez, with only one license approved each.
Types of licenses
Of the 18 types of licenses, residential licenses are the most in demand, with 72.75%, followed by those for shops and offices with 10.14%, and in third place, those corresponding to combined use projects, with 6.38%.
“Similarly, in the period analyzed we found that the typology with the largest construction area was that of residential projects with 66.89%, followed by combined, commercial and office and special structures 20.75%, 9.20%, 1.31% respectively,” he points out.
Investment
The Mivhed report states that Santo Domingo leads the list with the highest total investment recorded, reaching an amount of RD$29,044,926,416. In second place is the National District, with RD$14,365,788,360, followed by La Altagracia, with an amount of RD$13,912,178,280, Santiago in fourth place, reaching RD$7,679,766,766 while Sánchez Ramírez is in fifth place, with RD$2,378,024,880.
Cover photo: Justo Feliz/El Inmobiliario.
