Dominican Republic Exports Hit Record US$12 Billion

By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-13 07:27:08 | Updated at 2026-10-13 09:55:44 3 hours ago

A factory worker holds a bundle of wrapped cigars over an open cigar box, with stacks of boxes behind

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · TRADE

Key Facts

—The country The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti and trades with the US under the DR-CAFTA free-trade pact.
—What happened Exports reached a record US$12,019 million from January to September 2026, up 12.4%, the state export agency said on 12 October.
—The US share The United States bought US$5,642.7 million of Dominican goods, about 47% of the total, and remained the top destination.
—Top products Raw gold (US$2,392.5 million), medical instruments (US$981.5 million) and cigars (US$727.9 million) led the list.
—September Exports hit US$1,458 million, the highest ever for that month and 20.5% more than in September 2025.
—Still open Officials have not explained the jump in sales to Canada or said which products went to the United States.

Dominican Republic exports reached a record US$12.02 billion from January to September 2026, the state export agency said on Monday, 12 October. The United States remained by far the biggest buyer, taking about US$5.64 billion, or nearly half.

The figures come as President Luis Abinader’s government talks trade with Washington, including US tariffs on Dominican goods and access for American rice. For US buyers and investors, Dominican Republic exports are growing fast, led by gold, medical devices and cigars.

A Record Nine Months for Dominican Exports

The figures come from ProDominicana, the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic, a government agency that promotes trade and foreign investment. They rest on preliminary data from the DGA, the customs directorate.

Dominican Republic exports totalled US$12,019 million in the nine months, a record for that period, the agency said. That was US$1,330 million, or 12.4%, more than in the same months of 2025.

September alone brought in US$1,458 million, the highest figure ever recorded for that month. It was 20.5% above September 2025, or US$248.2 million more, according to customs records.

Listín Diario and El Nuevo Diario carried the agency’s figures on 12 October, and Diario Libre followed on 13 October.

The United States Stays the Top Buyer

The United States bought US$5,642.7 million of Dominican Republic exports in the nine months, about 47% of the total. Sales to the US grew by US$256.6 million, a gain topped only by Canada and Switzerland among the markets the agency highlighted.

Canada came second with US$1,567.8 million, after the biggest increase the agency reported, US$1,161.1 million. Haiti, the Dominican Republic’s neighbour on Hispaniola, was third with US$1,040.5 million.

Puerto Rico, a US territory counted separately, bought US$553.4 million, ahead of India with US$433.9 million and Switzerland with US$406.7 million. Sales to Switzerland rose by US$369.5 million.

Taken together, the United States and Puerto Rico bought just over half of everything the Dominican Republic sold abroad in the period.

Gold, Medical Devices and Cigars Lead

Raw gold topped Dominican Republic exports at US$2,392.5 million, up 49.8% on a year earlier. Medical instruments and devices followed with US$981.5 million, then cigars with US$727.9 million.

The fastest growth came in orthopaedic appliances, up 653.0%, and in cigars containing tobacco, up 177.4%. Partly or fully stemmed tobacco leaf rose 157.7%, the agency said.

Dominican goods reached 168 foreign markets through 2,804 product lines in the period.

Vladimir Pimentel, ProDominicana’s executive director, credited a national export plan in place since November 2020 and backed by about 70 public and private bodies. “The results achieved during the first nine months of 2026 reflect the dynamism of our export sector,” he said.

“We are going for the goal of doubling Dominican GDP,” Pimentel added, meaning the total value of the economy’s output.

Rows of workers sorting tobacco leaves at machines on the shop floor of a large cigar factory

Trade Talks With Washington

The record for Dominican Republic exports lands while the two countries discuss new trade terms. On Monday, Abinader, in office since 2020, said his government wants US tariffs on Dominican products removed, Diario Libre reported.

“I want zero tariff, because that is the free trade agreement,” he told a television programme by video link from Rome. He meant DR-CAFTA, the trade pact between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the United States.

Abinader said the repeal of Decree 693-24, a 2024 rule protecting local rice, does not leave the country exposed in the talks. That decree set a 20% tariff on rice imports within a quota agreed at the World Trade Organization and 99% above it.

He said the country can still control imports through plant and animal health rules, and that the talks have only just begun. Dominican rice farmers have already voiced fears about competition from US imports.

What It Means for You

For American importers and shoppers, the Dominican Republic is a fast-growing Caribbean supplier whose top exports are gold, medical devices and cigars. Any change in US tariffs would touch the market that buys nearly half of all Dominican Republic exports.

For investors, the agency says the growth spans mining, farm-based industry, manufacturing and medical devices. Firms selling rice and other farm goods there should follow the talks closely.

The background to those talks is set out in how the Dominican Republic is recalibrating with Washington on tariffs, rice and telecoms.

What Is Not Known

ProDominicana has not explained what drove the US$1,161.1 million jump in Dominican Republic exports to Canada, or the gain in Switzerland. It also gave no breakdown of which products went to the United States.

The figures are preliminary customs data and may be revised. Abinader gave no timetable for the talks with Washington, and it is not known whether US tariffs on Dominican goods will change.

More: Dominican Republic news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did the Dominican Republic export in 2026 so far?

US$12,019 million from January to September 2026, a record for the period and 12.4% more than a year earlier. The figures are preliminary customs data released by ProDominicana.