Dominican Republic Population 2018

The Dominican Republic represents a country rich with beautiful lands and an immense cultural heritage. It is the perfect tourist destination, with a surreal Caribbean ambience. It is located on the eastern side of the Antilles, on the island of Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic has an estimated population of 10.88 million in 2018, which ranks 86th in the world.

The Dominican Republic has an estimated population of 10.88 million, up from 9.44 million at the 2010 census.

Population Density and Surface Area

The country has an overall population density in 2018 of 224 people per square kilometer (86/square mile), which ranks 60th in the world. The population is spread over a total surface area of 48,671 square kilometers, ranking it 131st in the world.

Capital and City Centers of the Dominican Republic

The capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo, which is also the largest Caribbean city. Santo Domingo has a population of 970,000, with a metropolitan population of nearly 3 million. Other major cities include Santiago de los Caballeros (750,000), La Romana (215,000) and San Pedro de Macoris (190,000).

Dominican Republic Demographics

The history of the country dates back to when Christopher Columbus first landed at its port in 1492, in pursuit of discovering India and realizing the existence of the ëNew Worldí instead. Back then, the land was inhabited by the Arawak-speaking population, known as the Tainos. Following the island's discovery, the Spanish and subsequently the French ruled what is now called the Dominican Republic. The Tainos no longer exist today. They are believed to have been exterminated by the genocide incurred on the indigenous population of the Americas, following Columbusí landing.

Today, nearly 73% of the country's population is racially mixed, while 16% is White and 11% Black. The most common ethnic immigrant groups are West Indians. Many immigrants move to the Dominican Republic in search of better opportunities. There are tens of thousands of Jamaicans in the country and more than 700,000 people of Haitian descent. There are about 10,000 Puerto Rican immigrants around greater Santo Domingo.

Genealogical testing in 2012 found the average Dominican is 58% European, 35% Sub-Saharan African and 7% Asian-Native American.

Spanish is the official language in the Dominican Republic.

In terms of religion among the population, 95% follow the Roman Catholic religion and 5% follow other religions.

The median age of the population in the Dominican Republic is at 28.1 years of age. The total life expectancy is near 78.3 years of age.

Dominican Republic Population Projections

The Dominican Republic is expected to begin growing faster in the next two decades. By 2030, the population will reach 12.1 million, up more than 18% from 2012, and largely driven by a growing population aged 60 and older. Santo Domingo will hit a population of 4 million by 2030.

Components of Population Change