Demographics of the Dominican Republic

This is a demography of the population of the Dominican Republic including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population10,771,504 (2022 census)^[1]

Growth rate0.91% (2022 est.)

Birth rate14.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate4.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Quick facts Dominican Republic, Population ...

Demographics of Dominican Republic
Population pyramid of Dominican Republic in 2022
Population	10,771,504 (2022 census)^[1]
Growth rate	0.91% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	14.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate	4.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Life expectancy	72.56 years
• male	70.86 years
• female	74.33 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	1.61 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Infant mortality	21.18 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-2.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	26.85%
15–64 years	64.98%
65 and over	8.17%
Sex ratio
Total	1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.03 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.73 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Dominican
Major ethnic	Mixed (71.72%)^[2] Indio (34.20%) Moreno (25.97%) Mestizo (7.72%) Mulatto (3.83%)
Minor ethnic	White (18.70%) Black (7.45%) East Asian (0.33%) Other (1.80%)
Language
Official	Spanish

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Population size and structure

More information Year, Pop. ...

Census population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1844	132,275	—
1850	146,835	+1.76%
1860	188,440	+2.53%
1870	243,047	+2.58%
1880	313,223	+2.57%
1890	403,638	+2.57%
1900	521,386	+2.59%
1910	694,364	+2.91%
1920	896,843	+2.59%
1930	1,267,768	+3.52%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1940	1,702,095	+2.99%
1950	2,379,897	+3.41%
1960	3,268,340	+3.22%
1970	4,399,292	+3.02%
1980	5,729,043	+2.68%
1990	7,151,163	+2.24%
2000	8,584,196	+1.84%
2010	9,820,181	+1.35%
2020	11,008,297	+1.15%

Source:^[3]

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The area was first included in world trade in 1492 when Christopher Columbus docked on the island of Hispaniola. When Spain occupied the country in 1496, the population consisted of Arawak (Taíno Indians). When Spain returned in 1496, they founded the current capital, Santo Domingo, as the first European city in America. The country came under Spanish rule. France took over the part of Hispaniola that is today Haiti. During the colony era, The Dominican Republic acted as a sugar supplier to Spain and France. Many whites moved to the country during this period. In 1496, Santo Domingo was built and became the new capital, and remains the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the Americas. Today, two other large groups have joined, while the indigenous population has mostly disappeared. 45% of Dominicans consider themselves to have some significant Indigenous/Endemic ancestry, 18% are white, 7.8% are fully or predominantly black and 74% are mixed (Mestizo/Mulatto/"Indio"/Trigueño). About 9.2% of the Dominican population claims a European immigrant background, according to the 2021 Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas survey. During the many years that have passed since the great immigration, the races have been mixed and it can be difficult to distinguish. In terms of race, they are all similar to the other Caribbean islands. The Spaniards brought Christianity to the Dominican Republic, and today about 50% of the population reports as being Catholic. One clear remnant of the Spanish colonial era on the population is the official and widespread use of the Spanish language.

View source data.

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects^[4]^[5] the total population was 11,117,873 in 2021, compared to 2,380,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 31.2%, 62.8% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6% were aged 65 years or older.^[6]

More information Total population ( × 1000), Proportion ...

	Total population ( × 1000)	Proportion
	Total population ( × 1000)	aged 0–14	aged 15–64	aged 65+
1950	2 380	45.5%	51.7%	2.7%
1955	2 796	46.3%	51.1%	2.6%
1960	3 312	48.2%	49.2%	2.6%
1965	3 900	48.9%	48.5%	2.6%
1970	4 524	47.7%	49.7%	2.7%
1975	5 169	45.3%	51.9%	2.8%
1980	5 826	42.6%	54.4%	3.1%
1985	6 524	40.4%	56.2%	3.4%
1990	7 245	38.5%	57.6%	3.9%
1995	7 978	37.0%	58.5%	4.5%
2000	8 663	34.9%	59.9%	5.1%
2005	9 343	33.1%	61.3%	5.7%
2010	10 017	31.2%	62.8%	6.0%
2015	10 528	30.0%	63.4%	6.7%
2020	11 107	28.3%	62.8%	7.6%

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Structure of the population

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2017) (Data refer to national projections.): ^[7]

More information Age group, Male ...

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	5 082 876	5 086 296	10 169 172	100
0–4	492 808	472 820	965 628	9.49
5–9	492 702	474 348	967 050	9.50
10–14	492 107	477 445	969 552	9.53
15–19	480 035	471 501	951 536	9.51
20–24	455 440	453 444	930 505	9.15
25–29	420 715	423 382	844 907	8.30
30–34	377 850	385 180	763 030	7.50
35–39	339 877	348 143	688 020	6.76
40–44	306 907	313 858	616 955	6.07
45–49	275 488	282 105	557 593	5.48
50–54	245 299	249 766	495 065	4.87
55–59	206 257	210 188	416 445	4.10
60–64	162 912	168 103	331 015	3.25
65–69	121 894	126 929	248 523	2.44
70–74	86 739	90 761	177 500	1.74
75–79	61 133	65 274	126 407	1.24
80+	65 523	73 349	138 872	1.36
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	1 595 851	1 538 432	3 134 283	30.56
15–64	3 213 973	3 268 108	6 482 081	63.19
65+	306 501	334 859	641 360	6.25

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Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021) (Data refer to national projections.): ^[7]

More information Age group, Male ...

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	5 259 642	5 275 893	10 535 535	100
0–4	483 891	463 927	947 818	9.00
5–9	490 677	471 962	962 639	9.14
10–14	483 264	468 329	951 593	9.03
15–19	479 169	469 840	949 009	9.01
20–24	456 645	454 343	910 988	8.65
25–29	432 645	433 391	866 036	8.22
30–34	397 618	402 420	800 038	7.59
35–39	359 670	365 118	724 788	6.88
40–44	324 954	331 269	656 223	6.23
45–49	292 170	300 700	592 870	5.63
50–54	261 184	269 338	530 522	5.04
55–59	228 775	236 116	464 891	4.41
60–64	186 503	193 210	379 713	3.60
65–69	141 674	150 452	292 126	2.77
70–74	100 692	107 713	208 405	1.98
75–79	65 820	71 673	137 493	1.31
80+	74 291	86 092	160 383	1.52
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	1 457 832	1 404 218	2 862 050	27.17
15–64	3 419 333	3 455 745	6 875 078	65.26
65+	382 477	415 930	798 407	7.58

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Vital statistics

UN estimates

Registration of vital events is not universal in the Dominican Republic. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates: ^[6]

More information Period, Live births per year ...

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*	Life expectancy total	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1950–1955	140 000	53 000	87 000	54.3	20.5	33.8	7.60	153	46.0	44.7	47.3
1955–1960	163 000	54 000	109 000	53.4	17.6	35.8	7.64	139	49.9	48.6	51.4
1960–1965	178 000	52 000	126 000	49.5	14.5	35.0	7.35	124	53.6	52.1	55.2
1965–1970	186 000	50 000	136 000	44.2	11.8	32.3	6.65	109	56.9	55.4	58.7
1970–1975	190 000	47 000	143 000	39.2	9.7	29.6	5.68	96	59.8	58.1	61.8
1975–1980	194 000	46 000	149 000	35.4	8.3	27.1	4.76	86	62.0	60.3	64.0
1980–1985	206 000	46 000	160 000	33.4	7.5	25.9	4.15	75	64.0	62.1	66.1
1985–1990	213 000	46 000	168 000	31.0	6.7	24.3	3.65	63	66.5	64.3	69.0
1990–1995	218 000	46 000	172 000	28.7	6.0	22.7	3.31	48	69.0	66.5	71.9
1995–2000	215 000	50 000	165 000	25.8	6.0	19.8	2.98	41	70.0	67.3	73.1
2000–2005	219 000	54 000	165 000	23.8	6.1	17.7	2.75	35	71.1	68.1	74.4
2005–2010	221 000	58 000	163 000	22.0	6.0	16.0	2.57	30	72.2	69.2	75.5
2010–2015				20.9	6.1	14.8	2.57
2015–2020				19.7	6.1	13.6	2.45
2020–2025				18.0	6.4	11.6	2.36
2025–2030				16.5	6.7	9.8	2.23
2030–2035				15.2	7.1	8.1	2.12
2035–2040				14.2	7.5	6.7	2.03
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

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Registered births and deaths

^[8]

More information Year, Population ...

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	Crude migration rate	TFR
2001	8,512,996	196,369	28,861	167,508	22.8	3.4	19.5		2.571
2002	8,627,509	193,605	26,863	166,742	22.1	3.1	19.0	-5.7	2.494
2003	8,745,084	180,084	30,125	149,959	20.3	3.4	16.9	-3.5	2.272
2004	8,857,648	171,001	34,856	136,145	19.0	3.9	15.1	-2.4	2.142
2005	8,968,144	171,685	34,725	136,960	18.5	3.8	14.6	-2.3	2.086
2006	9,071,458	159,919	32,738	127,181	17.4	3.6	13.8	-2.4	1.974
2007	9,174,058	158,205	34,300	123,905	17.1	3.7	13.4	-2.2	1.941
2008	9,279,602	165,649	34,406	131,243	17.6	3.7	14.0	-2.6	2.025
2009	9,380,152	172,524	34,272	138,252	17.9	3.6	14.2	-3.5	2.055
2010	9,478,612	172,287	37,020	135,267	17.9	3.9	14.0	-3.6	2.054
2011	9,580,139	178,494	36,658	141,836	18.4	3.8	14.6	-4.0	2.116
2012	9,680,963	173,437	36,923	136,514	17.5	3.8	13.8	-3.4	2.028
2013	9,784,680	176,426	36,936	139,490	17.5	3.7	13.8	-3.2	2.036
2014	9,883,486	180,283	41,643	138,640	17.7	4.2	13.5	-3.5	2.065
2015	9,980,243	173,477	42,194	131,283	17.1	4.2	12.9	-3.2	1.998
2016	10,075,045	164,155	44,554	119,601	16.1	4.4	11.7	-2.3	1.883
2017	10,169,172	173,483	43,719	129,764	16.8	4.3	12.5	-3.2	1.982
2018	10,266,149	179,894	43,125	136,769	17.2	4.2	13.0	-3.6	2.057
2019	10,358,320	183,481	45,250	138,231	17.3	4.3	13.0	-4.1	2.089
2020	10,448,499	166,656	48,162	118,494	15.3	4.5	10.8	-2.2	1.878
2021	10,535,535	174,144	51,535	122,609	15.9	4.8	11.2	-2.9	1.972
2022	10,621,938	173,513	46,961	126,552	16.0	4.2	11.8	-3.7	1.964
2023	10,711,155	165,103	46,535	118,568	15.3	4.3	11.0	-2.2	1.820
2024	10,795,677	144,855	44,894	99,961	13.4	4.2	9.2		1.606
2025	10,878,267	123,759	43,032	80,727	11.4	4.0	7.4		1.373(e)

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Fertility

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^[9]

More information Year, Total ...

Year	Total		Urban		Rural
Year	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR
1965–69		7,1
1970–74		5,8
1975–79		4,7
1980–82		4,31
1983–85		3,69
1986		3,8 (2,8)		3,2 (2,5)		5,1 (3,5)
1991	30,1	3,3 (2,6)	29,7	2,8 (2,3)	30,5	4,4 (3,1)
1996	27,7	3,2 (2,5)	24,4	2,8 (2,2)	29,8	4,0 (3,0)
1999		2,9 (2,3)		2,7 (2,1)		3,4 (2,7)
2002	25,2	3,0 (2,3)	25,3	2,8 (2,3)	24,9	3,3 (2,5)
2007	20,4	2,4 (1,9)	20,0	2,3 (1,8)	21,4	2,8 (2,1)
2013	20,9	2,5 (2,0)	21,2	2,4 (1,9)	20,3	2,6 (2,1)

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More information Years ...

Years	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929^[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Dominican Republic	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16

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More information Years ...

Years	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939^[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Dominican Republic	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.16	6.25	6.34	6.43	6.52

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More information Years ...

Years	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949^[10]
Total Fertility Rate in Dominican Republic	6.61	6.70	6.79	6.88	6.97	7.06	7.15	7.24	7.33	7.42

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Ethnic groups

As of 2014, mixed-race people comprise the largest ethnic group at 45%. The second-largest group are Black Dominicans at 35%. 15-20% of Dominicans identify as White, and 0.3% identify as Other.^[11]

Religion

Roman Catholic 51.3%, Evangelical 13%, Protestant 7.9%, Adventist 1.4%, other 1.8%, atheist 0.2%, none 22.4%, unspecified 2% (2018 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official)

Demographics of the Dominican Republic

Population size and structure

Structure of the population

Vital statistics

UN estimates

Registered births and deaths

Fertility

Ethnic groups

Religion

Languages

See also

References

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