Dominican Republic: Trade Partnerships

The Dominican Republic runs one of the more open economies in the Caribbean, and its trade is overwhelmingly oriented toward the United States. As of 2025, the United States purchased roughly 53 percent of Dominican exports and supplied a similarly large share of its imports, making it by far the country's largest trading partner. India, Haiti, and Canada rank among its next-largest export markets, while China and Mexico are major sources of imports alongside the United States.

That US-centered trade pattern was reinforced by the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, which the country ratified in 2005 and which took effect in March 2007. The agreement eliminated most tariffs on trade with the United States and accelerated a shift away from traditional agricultural exports such as sugar, coffee, cocoa, and tobacco toward manufacturing in free-trade zones, which now account for a large share of export earnings. Mining also plays a significant role, with ferronickel and gold among the country's leading export commodities.

Trade with Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, remains substantial and includes significant informal cross-border commerce alongside formal exports, positioning Haiti among the Dominican Republic's top destination markets despite its much smaller economy. Meanwhile, growth in free-trade-zone manufacturing, particularly medical devices and other high-value goods, has diversified Dominican exports beyond traditional commodities, even as the United States, as of 2025, continues to anchor both sides of the country's trade balance.