The People

The last census in the country in 2002, yielded a population of 8,562,541 (4,265,215 males and 4,297,326 females). For 2007, the estimated population is 9,584,000 people.

Most of the population is made up of a mixture of Spanish and African descent, representing 73%, 11% are of African descent and 16% are white, mostly of Spanish ancestry with some Arabs (Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, etc). The Taino population was non-existent.

Haitians are the largest minority group. It is believed that there are approximately 1,500,000 (or 14% of the population). Of course this figure is not as accurate as there is no precise data on the number of Haitians residing illegally in the Dominican Republic. It is estimated to be 1,430,000, which indicates that only 70,000 Haitians live legally in the country according to Human Rights Watch.

Many Haitians are illegal immigrants, where they were born in another country. The National Bureau of Statistics estimated the current population of Haitian immigrants to be approximately 1,000,000. There are also minorities of Asian origin, mostly Chinese and Japanese representing 1% of the population.

Since the 1960s, economic problems have led to the migration of many Dominicans to the United States, mainly the coastal cities of the East. Dominicans are one of the largest groups of Latinos in the United States of America, after Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans.

The most populated cities in the Dominican Republic are: Santo Domingo; Santiago de los Caballeros; San Francisco de Macoris; La Romana; San Juan de the Maguana San Cristobal; Higuey; San Pedro de Macoris; Puerto Plata; La Vega; Barahona; Moca; Bani; and Bonao.