Dominican Republic achieves highest historical value in mining exports to exceed US$2.59 billion in 2025

Santo Domingo — The Dominican Republic reached the highest value of mining exports in 2025, with this period closing with an accumulated value exceeding US$2,590 million, making 2025 the year with the highest exports in this sector of the economy.

This value represents a growth of 52% in relation to 2024, when mining exports totaled US$1,712.7 million, and if compared to previous historical figures, such as the case of 2021, it can be observed that US$2,159.5 million was registered, equivalent to 20%, according to data from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.

The information was provided by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, who said that in the growth of 2025, the last quarter of the year stands out, recording US$825.9 million, which is 67% higher than the same period in 2024.

The Minister of Energy and Mines specified that mining maintains a significant share of national exports, accounting for more than 40% of total exports, with gold as the main item of the sector, which consolidates its strategic importance for the Dominican economy.

He said that the figures for the last quarter of 2025 represent an increase of nearly 14.0% compared to July-September of that year, reaching more than US$720 million, driven mainly by exports of gold and silver.

Santos stated that these results are the result of a management aimed at strengthening investments and institutional strengthening. He pointed out that the progress made in the mining sector translates into a boost to the national economy.

Foreign investment

In addition to the export figures, Minister Santos highlighted that the Dominican mining sector consolidated its attractiveness as a destination for foreign capital in 2025. Official data indicates that mining captured more than US$556.3 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between January and September, representing approximately 14% of the total FDI received by the country in that period, according to Central Bank figures.

“This leadership responds to the sustained performance of products such as gold, silver and copper, which concentrate a significant part of the exported value and contribute decisively to the generation of foreign exchange, employment and investment,” he said.

Santos said that, as a whole, the energy and mining sector accounted for around 40% of all FDI captured by the Dominican Republic in 2025, consolidating itself as one of the principal axes of attraction of foreign capital within the national economy.

The mining sector represents one of the most critical drivers of the national economy. External

Growth and diversification

The Minister of Energy and Mines pointed out that, in addition to this, the growth of artisanal mining, specifically of larimar, which this year achieved international recognition with the Denomination of Origin “Larimar Barahona,” registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), under the Lisbon Agreement, which strengthens its protection.

The minister also indicated that the Dominican Republic made significant progress during 2025 with the exploitation of rare earths in the province of Pedernales. Likewise, the revision and discussion of Mining Law 146-71 advanced, to modernize the legal framework and deposit it in the National Congress in the first quarter of 2026.

It also made progress in social matters, among them the formalization of the resettlement agreement for the expansion of the mining operation in Cotuí, province Sánchez Ramírez, which contemplates an investment of more than RD$20,000 million for the development of the communities.