Dominican Republic’s monetary poverty rate falls to 15.4% in first quarter of 2026

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican government reported that the country’s overall monetary poverty rate fell to 15.4% during the first quarter of 2026, marking a 2.6 percentage-point decrease compared to the 18.1% recorded during the same period in 2025.

According to preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Dominican Republic and validated by the National Statistics Office (ONE) and the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the decline in poverty was linked to economic growth and higher labor income. The country’s Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) registered cumulative growth of 4.1% during the period.

Authorities also attributed the improvement to increases in sectoral and non-sectoral minimum wages implemented between April 2025 and February 2026, benefiting lower-income households. The report noted that labor income growth contributed 3.74 percentage points toward reducing poverty, helping offset the effects of inflation.

Despite the progress, the bulletin highlighted persistent disparities between urban and rural areas. Rural monetary poverty stood at 18.8%, compared to 14.8% in urban communities, leaving a 4 percentage-point gap.

The report defines monetary poverty as the condition in which household income is insufficient to cover the cost of a basic basket of goods and services.