New preliminary data released by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic via its Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) shows that the Caribbean nation’s economy delivered its most robust performance in nearly 12 months during February 2026, posting a 3.9% year-on-year expansion. This strong February result lifted the average growth rate across the first two months of 2026 to 3.7%, outpacing many moderate growth projections for regional economies.
This upward momentum was anchored by outsize gains in three foundational sectors of the Dominican economy: mining, construction, and services. Mining led all sectors with a 9.4% annual expansion, followed by construction at 5.8% and the broad services sector at 3.5%. Within services, multiple sub-sectors posted particularly notable growth: education, healthcare, tourism-linked hospitality (including hotels, bars and restaurants), financial services, and professional business activities all contributed heavily to the overall expansion. Additional modest but steady growth came from other core sectors: agriculture grew 3.2% year-on-year, local domestic manufacturing expanded 2.4%, and free trade zone manufacturing recorded a 1.2% increase.
A closer look at the driving forces behind sector growth reveals a mix of public and private momentum. Construction activity, one of the top growth contributors, was buoyed by rising public infrastructure spending and growing private investment across residential, commercial, and tourism-focused development projects, paired with increasingly favorable lending rates that lowered borrowing costs for developers. The mining sector’s double-digit expansion stemmed from higher production volumes of gold, silver, and key construction materials, aligned with growing regional demand for commodities.
Tourism, a longstanding economic pillar for the Dominican Republic, continued its recovery and expansion: the country recorded a 10% year-on-year jump in air arrivals through the first two months of 2026, hitting nearly 1.65 million total international visitors. The financial sector also strengthened its position, with financial intermediation activity growing alongside an 8.1% annual increase in credit extended to the private sector, signaling growing business and consumer confidence. For agriculture, higher overall production volumes and targeted government support programs boosted the sector’s performance for the period.
Even with the stronger-than-expected growth print, the Central Bank has cautioned that ongoing headwinds remain on the global horizon. Persistent geopolitical tensions and upward pressure on global oil prices continue to create widespread uncertainty for small open economies like the Dominican Republic. In response, the central bank reaffirmed its policy commitment to preserving macroeconomic stability and keeping inflation anchored within target ranges through the remainder of 2026.