Good to know
Good to Know
- Santo Domingo is the capital and largest city in the Caribbean by metropolitan population, serving as the region's economic, financial, and commercial hub.
- The city's immigrant population is predominantly from Haiti (86.5% of all foreign-born residents), reflecting regional labor mobility.
- Growing fintech ecosystem: Dominican Republic has the 8th largest fintech sector in Latin America, with 65+ fintech companies as of 2024.
- Tech workforce is abundant and relatively affordable; developers in Santo Domingo offer competitive rates while maintaining international standards, particularly for services targeting the US market.
- English proficiency is solid among tech professionals, making nearshore collaboration accessible for US and international companies.
Foreign Born Population
- Percentage Of Country
- approximately 4%
- Primary Origin
- Haiti (86.5% of foreign-born population)
- Estimated Total
- ~604,000 in Dominican Republic (2020)
Notable Nationalities In Dominican Republic
Haiti
- Note
- Vast majority of foreign-born population; estimated 329,281 Haitian-born (2012 survey)
~25,814 (2012)
- Country
- United States
Puerto Rico
- Note
- ~10,000 estimated in Santo Domingo area; 6,083 Puerto Rican-born nationally (2012)
7,062 (2012)
- Country
- Spain
5,417 (2012)
- Country
- Venezuela
3,841 (2012)
- Country
- Cuba
3,606 (2012)
- Country
- Colombia
2,043 (2012)
- Country
- France
Startup Ecosystem
- Growth Rate 2025
- +34%
- Rank Global
- #641 globally (2026)
- Startup Count
- 38
- Total Funding
- Over $10K
Primary Sectors
- Software & Data
- Fintech
- AI and automation
- Real estate tech
- Healthcare/Biotech
Notable Companies And Initiatives
Elite Technology Development
- Focus
- Hardware manufacturing (smartphones, laptops, VR, electric bicycles); first Dominican tech hardware brand
AlterEstate
- Focus
- Cloud-based real estate management platform
TagShelf
- Focus
- AI platform for document automation
Startup Grind Santo Domingo
- Focus
- Community providing education, mentorship, and networking across 600+ cities globally
City Population
- Metro Area
- 3524000
- City Proper
- 1001525
- Metro Area Year
- 2023
Dominican Republic Level
- Growth Rate 2025
- +52.9%
- Rank Global
- #106 globally (2026)
- Startup Count
- 52
- Fintech Growth
- Fintech companies increased from 6 in 2018 to 65 by 2024; 8th largest fintech ecosystem in Latin America; leader in Central America & Caribbean
Infrastructure Strengths
- Telecommunications
- Modern, extensive telecommunications infrastructure; abundant bilingual (Spanish-English) workforce
- Government Initiative
- Dominican Republic government promoting 'Silicon Beach' initiative; special economic zones and free trade zones attract foreign tech companies
- Tech Sector Characteristics
- Growing pool of skilled developers; English proficiency ranks 55/113 countries (EF EPI Index); competitive pricing for nearshore development; proximity to US with aligned time zones
Local Ethnicity National Level
- Black
- 15.8% (2026)
- White
- 18.7% identify as white (2022 census; ages 12+)
- Mixed Race Mulatto
- 70.4% (2026)
- Note
- Dominican population historically derived from Spanish, Indigenous, and African ancestry fusion
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Santo Domingo
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.