The Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	90th best
Capital	Santo Domingo
Land Area	48 320km21
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	10.6m2
Life Expectancy	72.61yrs (2017)3
GNI	$17 990 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	DO, DOM, 2145
Internet Domain	.do6
Currency	Peso (DOP)7
Telephone	+8

1. Overview
2. Dominican Republic National and Social Development
3. Dominican Republic's Demographics and Migration
4. Dominican Republic's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Dominican Republic's Health
6. Dominican Republic's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Dominican Republic's Modernity and Learning
8. Dominican Republic's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#france #spain #USA

“The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was since reelected to a second consecutive term.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Much more than beach resorts, the Dominican Republic is one of the Caribbean´s most geographically diverse countries, with an evocative colonial history and warm welcoming people. The Dominican Republic (DR) is defined by its hundreds of miles of coastline - some with picturesque white-sand beaches shaded by rows of palm trees, other parts lined dramatically with rocky cliffs. Symbolizing both limits and escapes, the sea is the common denominator across fishing villages, where the shoreline is used for mooring boats, indulgent tourist playgrounds, small towns, and cities like Santo Domingo - the Caribbean´s largest and the site of New World firsts.

Beyond the capital, much of the DR is distinctly rural. Further inland are vistas reminiscent of the European alps: four of the Caribbean´s five highest peaks rise above the fertile lowlands surrounding Santiago. Remote deserts extend through the southwest, giving the DR a complexity not found on other islands. The country´s roller-coaster past is writ large in the diversity of its ethnicities, not to mention the physical design of its towns and cities.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Dominican Republic National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
79	China	0.768
80=	Moldova	0.767
80=	Palau	0.767
80=	Dominican Rep.	0.767
83	Cuba	0.764
84	Peru	0.762
85	Armenia	0.759
86	Mexico	0.758
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
66	Costa Rica	$19 974
67	Serbia	$19 123
68	Belarus	$18 849
69	Dominican Rep.	$17 990
70	Mexico	$17 896
71	Nauru	$17 730
72	China	$17 504
73	Thailand	$17 030
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	27.0
2	Norway	29.9
3	Sweden	31.8
	...
87	Indonesia	84.8
88	Qatar	85.3
89	Seychelles	85.4
90	Dominican Rep.	85.5
91	Kuwait	86.0
92	Grenada	86.3
93	El Salvador	86.5
94	Fiji	87.4
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.6
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Dominican Republic's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

The Dominican Republic's population is predicted to rise to 12.06 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.25. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
82	Haiti	11.1m
83	S. Sudan	11.0m
84	Czechia	10.7m
85	Dominican Rep.	10.6m
86	Greece	10.5m
87	Portugal	10.3m
88	Sweden	10.0m
89	Jordan	10.0m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
89	Oman	72.5
90	Belarus	72.4
91	Bangladesh	72.4
92	Peru	72.4
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
35	Bulgaria	1.78
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.78
37	Brunei	1.76
38	Dominican Rep.	2.25
39	Nicaragua	2.28
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
97	Fiji	15.3
98	Mexico	15.4
99	Peru	15.5
100=	Dominican Rep.	15.6
100=	Venezuela	15.6
100=	Kazakhstan	15.6
103	Ecuador	16.0
104	Morocco	16.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	4.2%
91	Czechia	4.1%
92	Uganda	3.9%
93	Dominican Rep.	3.9%
94	Mauritania	3.8%
95	Namibia	3.8%
96	Burkina Faso	3.7%
97	Trinidad & Tobago	3.7%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
65	Liberia	10.5%
66	Uruguay	10.5%
67	Hong Kong	10.2%
68	Dominican Rep.	10.1%
69	Zimbabwe	9.9%
70	Haiti	9.9%
71	San Marino	9.9%
72	Burkina Faso	9.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Dominican Republic's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#antisemitism #equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to The Americas (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Canada	14.7
2	Costa Rica	31.8
3	Uruguay	35.5
	...
20	St Lucia	69.9
21	Colombia	71.9
22	Belize	73.4
23	Dominican Rep.	78.0
24	St Kitts & Nevis	79.1
25	El Salvador	79.5
26	Paraguay	80.8
27	Honduras	81.1
28	Suriname	81.5
	The Americas Avg	71.80
q=36.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
78	Georgia	76.4
79	Tuvalu	76.7
80	Namibia	77.7
81	Dominican Rep.	78.0
82	Micronesia	78.2
83	Armenia	78.5
84	St Kitts & Nevis	79.1
85	El Salvador	79.5
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₉.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom Higher is better20
Pos.		202520
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
40	Fiji	71.20
41	Gabon	70.65
42	Macedonia	70.44
43	Dominican Rep.	69.87
44	Samoa	69.28
45	Seychelles	68.56
46	Tonga	68.39
47	Belize	68.32
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Slavery Lower is better21
Pos.		2018 % Victims21
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
77	Cuba	0.38
78=	Israel	0.39
78=	Latvia	0.39
80	Dominican Rep.	0.40
81=	Kosovo	0.40
82	Cape Verde	0.41
83=	Kyrgyzstan	0.41
84	Cyprus	0.42
	The Americas Avg	0.25
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better22
Pos.		2014 Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
60	Jamaica	60
61=	Haiti	61
61=	Fiji	61
63	Dominican Rep.	63
64	Cambodia	64
65	Madagascar	65
66	Brunei	66
67	Serbia	67
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
93	India	3.0
94=	Fiji	3.0
94=	Ecuador	3.0
94=	Dominican Rep.	3.0
94=	Albania	3.0
94=	Bolivia	3.0
94=	Hungary	3.0
100	Papua New Guinea	3.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better23
Pos.		2009 Treaties23
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
109	Cape Verde	15
110=	Bangladesh	15
110=	Mozambique	15
112	Dominican Rep.	14
113=	Kenya	14
113=	Japan	14
113=	Jamaica	14
113=	Jordan	14
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better24
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty24
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
95	Azerbaijan	10.08
96	Lebanon	10.14
97	Afghanistan	10.23
98	Dominican Rep.	10.24
99	Kuwait	10.36
100	Laos	10.53
101	Cambodia	10.56
102	Ghana	10.64
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Dominican Republic stated:

“Lawmakers again failed to table a revised Criminal Code that would decriminalize abortion and provide protections for LGBTI people. President Abinader committed to police reform. Reports of discrimination against Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent continued as construction of a wall along the Haitian border commenced.”

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₂₅

Gender Equality:

The Dominican Rep. has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree (2019)

Gender Inequality Lower is better26
Pos.		202226
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
104	Samoa	0.42
105	Bolivia	0.42
106	Paraguay	0.43
107	Dominican Rep.	0.44
108	Algeria	0.44
109	Morocco	0.44
110	Indonesia	0.44
111	India	0.45
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
43	Myanmar (Burma)	1935
44	Philippines	1937
45	Uzbekistan	1938
46	Dominican Rep.	1942
47=	Bulgaria	1944
47=	France	1944
47=	Bermuda	1944
47=	Jamaica	1944
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better27
Pos.		2014 %27
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
70=	Peru	38
71	Colombia	41
72=	Hungary	41
72=	Dominican Rep.	41
74	Serbia	42
75=	Bulgaria	44
75=	Mauritius	44
77	Poland	45
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

LGBT Equality Higher is better28
Pos.		2017 Score28
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
73=	Moldova	25
73=	Turkey	25
73=	Latvia	25
73=	Dominican Rep.	25
73=	Seychelles	25
73=	Panama	25
73=	Vietnam	25
73=	Nepal	25
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better29
Pos.		202129
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
114	Zambia	3.3
115=	Trinidad & Tobago	3.3
115=	St Lucia	3.3
115=	Dominican Rep.	3.3
115=	Armenia	3.3
115=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.3
115=	Brazil	3.3
115=	Cameroon	3.3
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Dominican Republic's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Greenland	34.3
2	Curaço	49.7
3	Aruba	49.9
	...
36	Venezuela	108.1
37	Belize	111.0
38	Paraguay	111.5
39	Dominican Rep.	112.7
40	Nicaragua	113.8
41	Bolivia	121.9
42	Guatemala	123.6
43	Honduras	125.3
44	Haiti	130.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=44.

Health (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
140	Belize	111.0
141	Paraguay	111.5
142	Tuvalu	112.1
143	Dominican Rep.	112.7
144	Nicaragua	113.8
145	S. Africa	115.9
146	Philippines	116.9
147	Egypt	117.0
	World Avg	96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₃₁.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃₁, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₃₁.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

The Dominican Republic does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The Dominican Rep. comes in the best 20 when it comes to its suicide rate₃₂. It does better than average in terms of its fertility rate₁₄, its smoking rate₃₃, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄ and in its average life expectancy₁₁. But, there's bad news too. The Dominican Rep. does worse than average for its alcohol consumption rate₃₅, its immunizations take-up₃₆ and in its adolescent birth rate₃₇. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in the Dominican Republic only improved by +6.5yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. It is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 7.56 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
89	Oman	72.5
90	Belarus	72.4
91	Bangladesh	72.4
92	Peru	72.4
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better35
Pos.		2016 Per Capita35
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
101	Cambodia	6.7
102=	Belize	6.8
102=	Sao Tome & Principe	6.8
104	Dominican Rep.	6.9
105=	Antigua & Barbuda	7.0
105=	Niue	7.0
107	China	7.2
108=	Paraguay	7.2
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
35	Bulgaria	1.78
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.78
37	Brunei	1.76
38	Dominican Rep.	2.25
39	Nicaragua	2.28
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better33
Pos.		201433
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
49	Grenada	224
50	St Lucia	232
51	Mali	236
52	Dominican Rep.	245
53	Togo	250
54	Kenya	257
55	Mauritius	261
56	El Salvador	280
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate32
Pos.		2013 Per 100k32
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
9	Peru	2.9
10	Kuwait	3.6
11	Armenia	3.9
12	Dominican Rep.	4.6
13	St Lucia	4.9
14	Tajikistan	5.2
15	Venezuela	6.5
16	Malta	6.9
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Poland	79
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
85	Bolivia	85
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		2016 %38
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
141	Dominica	60.3
142	Morocco	60.4
143	Ireland	60.6
144	Dominican Rep.	61.2
145	Syria	61.4
146=	Spain	61.6
146=	Hungary	61.6
146=	Costa Rica	61.6
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better37
Pos.		2022 Per 100037
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
144	Namibia	63.1
145	Guatemala	63.2
146	Vanuatu	63.2
147	Dominican Rep.	63.2
148	Nepal	63.4
149	Ghana	63.4
150	Eritrea	63.6
151	Senegal	64.6
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better36
Pos.		2015 Avg %36
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
136	Ecuador	86.8
137	Cambodia	86.5
138	Namibia	86.5
139	Dominican Rep.	86.3
140	Panama	86.1
141	Belarus	85.3
142=	Canada	85.2
142=	Guatemala	85.2
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

The Dominican Republic was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19); in the 2000s it was still amongst only 37 countries that fell into the same grouping.

6. Dominican Republic's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)39
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank39
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)39
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank39
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
42	Senegal	63.4
43	Hong Kong	64.6
44	Cyprus	64.8
45	Dominican Rep.	65.0
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

The Dominican Rep. ranks 45th in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is derived from 7 data sets. The Dominican Rep. does better than average for energy to GDP efficiency₄₀ (the lowest in The Americas), its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₁, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₂ (but low for The Americas) and in its environmental performance₄₃. But, there's bad news too. The Dominican Rep. does worse than average when it comes to reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₄ (still good for The Americas) and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in its score on the Green Future Index₄₅ (one of the worst in The Americas).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better41
Pos.		Total41
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
35	Estonia	8.7%
36	Romania	8.7%
37	Spain	8.6%
38	Dominican Rep.	8.5%
39	Greece	8.4%
40	Réunion	8.1%
41	UK	7.8%
42	Martinique	7.2%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better43
Pos.		201843
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
43	Hungary	65.0
44	Belarus	65.0
45	Romania	64.8
46	Dominican Rep.	64.7
47	Uruguay	64.7
48	Estonia	64.3
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better40
Pos.		2022 Avg40
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
28	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.60
29	Bangladesh	0.61
30	Ireland	0.62
31	Dominican Rep.	0.63
32	Haiti	0.63
33	Denmark	0.65
34	Botswana	0.67
35	Hong Kong	0.67
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
122	Syria	54%
123	Namibia	54%
124	Algeria	54%
125	Dominican Rep.	54%
126	Tajikistan	54%
127	St Kitts & Nevis	54%
128	Dominica	54%
129	Barbados	54%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better42
Pos.		2011 %42
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
37	Central African Rep.	51.9%
38	Belize	50.6%
39	Burkina Faso	50.5%
40	Dominican Rep.	50.2%
41	Thailand	49.9%
42	Italy	49.6%
43	Vietnam	49.1%
44	Honduras	48.1%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better44
Pos.		2021 kg44
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
91	Albania	52.0
92	Kiribati	52.4
93	Vietnam	52.6
94	Dominican Rep.	53.5
95	Peru	54.0
96	Mauritius	54.2
97	Saudi Arabia	55.1
98	Zimbabwe	56.0
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Green Future Index Higher is better45
Pos.		2023 Score45
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
58	Ethiopia	4.0
59	Angola	4.0
60	Egypt	4.0
61	Dominican Rep.	4.0
62	Peru	4.0
63	Turkey	3.8
64	Cameroon	3.8
65	Ghana	3.8
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Dominican Republic's Modernity and Learning

#capitalism #charity #corruption #economics #education #english #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #intelligence #life_expectancy #maths #modernity #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religion #religiosity #religious_violence #science #secularisation #social_development #technology #terrorism #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
20	Bahamas	83.5
21	Dominica	84.0
22	St Lucia	86.3
23=	Dominican Rep.	87.1
23=	Panama	87.1
25	Venezuela	89.0
26	Belize	89.1
27	Jamaica	94.6
28	Paraguay	103.1
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
99	Philippines	85.1
100	Jordan	86.1
101	St Lucia	86.3
102=	Dominican Rep.	87.1
102=	Panama	87.1
104	Andorra	87.1
105	India	87.8
106	Venezuela	89.0
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₇. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₇. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₈.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₉

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₇, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₇.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education Higher is better50
Pos.		201850
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
97	Zimbabwe	58.7%
98	Gabon	57.6%
99	Libya	57.4%
100	Dominican Rep.	56.6%
101	Uruguay	56.0%
102	Lebanon	54.9%
103	Portugal	54.2%
104	Turkey	53.1%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better51
Pos.		2021 Years51
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
71	Oman	14.6
72	Trinidad & Tobago	14.5
73	Slovakia	14.5
74	Dominican Rep.	14.5
75	Albania	14.4
76	Cuba	14.4
77	Colombia	14.4
78	Moldova	14.4
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
119	Guatemala	119
120	Niger	120
121	El Salvador	121
122	Dominican Rep.	122
123	Oman	123
124	Chad	124
125	Brunei	125
126	Ivory Coast	126
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better52
Pos.		2015 Score52
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
63	Brazil	1185
64	Peru	1182
65	Lebanon	1129
66	Tunisia	1114
67	Macedonia	1107
68	Kosovo	1087
69	Algeria	1086
70	Dominican Rep.	1018
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better53
Pos.		2018 %53
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71	Dominican Rep.	78
72=	Iran	78
72=	Tunisia	78
74	Bangladesh	80
75=	India	80
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better54
Pos.		200654
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
92=	India	82
92=	Bangladesh	82
92=	Lebanon	82
92=	Dominican Rep.	82
92=	Madagascar	82
97	Egypt	81
98=	Honduras	81
98=	Nicaragua	81
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better55
Pos.		201655
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
94	China	52%
95=	Vietnam	52%
95=	S. Africa	52%
97	Dominican Rep.	52%
98	Uzbekistan	51%
99	Armenia	50%
100	Iran	49%
101	Tunisia	48%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better56
Pos.		2017 Ratio56
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
49	S. Korea	1.2
50	Dominican Rep.	1.1
51	Slovakia	0.8
52	Hong Kong	0.7
53	Spain	0.6
54	St Kitts & Nevis	0.6
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better57
Pos.		202457
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
72	Armenia	43.9%
73	Belarus	43.5%
74	Georgia	43.4%
75	Dominican Rep.	43.4%
76	Ecuador	43.3%
77	Mauritius	42.9%
78	Jordan	42.6%
79	Egypt	42.5%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Dominican Republic's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to The Americas (2020)58
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank58
1	Canada	23.1
2	Barbados	46.9
3	Costa Rica	47.3
	...
15	Brazil	83.5
16	Guatemala	84.2
17	St Lucia	84.2
18	Dominican Rep.	84.9
19	Guyana	84.9
20	Suriname	85.4
21	El Salvador	85.5
22	Mexico	87.2
23	Peru	87.3
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)58
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank58
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
96	St Lucia	84.2
97	Ukraine	84.4
98	S. Africa	84.8
99	Dominican Rep.	84.9
100	Guyana	84.9
101	Suriname	85.4
102	El Salvador	85.5
103	India	85.6
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture:

World Giving Index Higher is better59
Pos.		2022 %59
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
39=	Ethiopia	44.0
39=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	44.0
39=	Paraguay	44.0
39=	Dominican Rep.	44.0
39=	Kyrgyzstan	44.0
39=	Mexico	44.0
39=	Costa Rica	44.0
46	Vietnam	43.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better60
Pos.		2022 Points60
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
121	Angola	33.0
122=	Philippines	33.0
123	Kenya	32.0
124=	Dominican Rep.	32.0
124=	Niger	32.0
126	Uzbekistan	31.0
127=	Laos	31.0
127=	Mexico	31.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better61
Pos.		2024 Score61
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
73=	Jamaica	5.9
74	Bolivia	5.9
75	Kyrgyzstan	5.9
76	Dominican Rep.	5.8
77	Mongolia	5.8
78	Mauritius	5.8
79	Libya	5.8
80	Moldova	5.8
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
122	Zimbabwe	122
123	Egypt	123
124	Burkina Faso	124
125	Dominican Rep.	125
126	Oman	126
127	Mozambique	127
128	Niger	128
129	Sierra Leone	129
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
73	Chile	73
74	Macedonia	74
75	Oman	75
76	Dominican Rep.	76
77	Slovenia	77
78	Guatemala	78
79	Tonga	79
80	Latvia	80
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better62
Pos.		2023 Score62
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
80	China	2.01
81	Tunisia	2.01
82	Equatorial Guinea	2.01
83	Dominican Rep.	2.02
84=	Morocco	2.02
84=	Angola	2.02
86	Uzbekistan	2.03
87	Guinea-Bissau	2.05
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
126	Barbados	126
127	Chad	127
128	Montenegro	128
129	Dominican Rep.	129
130	Papua New Guinea	130
131	Syria	131
132	Belarus	132
133	Portugal	133
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
48	Czechia	48
49	Argentina	49
50	Brazil	50
51	Dominican Rep.	51
52	Slovakia	52
53	UAE	53
54	Macedonia	54
55	Zambia	55
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better63
Pos.		2019 Score63
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
28=	Estonia	0.12
29	New Zealand	0.14
30	Uruguay	0.17
31	Dominican Rep.	0.18
32	Hungary	0.18
33	Switzerland	0.19
34	Latvia	0.23
35	S. Korea	0.30
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better64
Pos.		201964
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
117	Iraq	15.90
118	Micronesia	16.10
119	Tajikistan	16.70
120=	Dominican Rep.	17.00
120=	Sao Tome & Principe	17.00
122	Bhutan	17.10
123=	Venezuela	17.10
124	Bangladesh	17.30
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better65
Pos.		2023 %65
1	Slovakia	24.1%66
2	Slovenia	24.3%66
3	Belarus	24.4%67
	...
96=	Lithuania	36.7%66
96=	Yemen	36.7%68
98	Mauritius	36.8%69
99	Dominican Rep.	37.0%70
100	Solomon Islands	37.1%71
101=	Chad	37.4%70
101=	Burkina Faso	37.4%66
103	Burundi	37.5%67
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better72
Pos.		2018 Severity72
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
20	Barbados	.009
21	Macedonia	.010
22	Guyana	.014
23	Dominican Rep.	.015
24	China	.016
25	Brazil	.01673
26	Belize	.017
27	Ecuador	.018
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)53
Pos.		Lower is better %53
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
68=	Puerto Rico	77
68=	Malaysia	77
68=	Colombia	77
71	Dominican Rep.	78
72=	Iran	78
72=	Tunisia	78
74	Bangladesh	80
75=	India	80
76	Iraq	82
77=	El Salvador	85
77=	Jordan	85
79	Palestine	86
80=	Uganda	86
80=	Chad	86
80=	Niger	86
83	Kenya	87
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)74
Pos.		Higher is better %74
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
41	USA	10
42	Trinidad & Tobago	9
43	Albania	8
44=	Dominican Rep.	7
44=	Croatia	7
44=	Kyrgyzstan	7
44=	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49=	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
51=	Ireland	5
51=	Mozambique	5
53	Zimbabwe	4
54=	Namibia	4
54=	Iran	4
54=	Mexico	4
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₅:

Christian	88%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.9%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	10.9%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%₇₆.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?