Santo Domingo: population and official figures
In depth
- Health in Santo Domingo: The Ministry of Public Health lists 163 public health establishments in the municipality of Santo Domingo in its 2026 register, the most among the 19 Dominican cities on this site; that is 8.5% of the 1,910 public establishments in the Dominican Republic.
- Government budget and revenue in Santo Domingo: The municipal government of Santo Domingo recorded revenue of RD$ 7.6 billion in 2025 in the Ministry of Finance's local government report, the highest among the 19 Dominican cities on this site; the 2024 figure was RD$ 5.2 billion, so revenue was up 46.5%.
What is the population of Santo Domingo?
Santo Domingo had 1,043,186 inhabitants (city proper) on 1 July 2020, according to the official estimate the Dominican Republic reported to the United Nations Statistics Division, 2nd largest among the 19 Dominican cities on this site.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyHow big is Santo Domingo compared with other Dominican cities?
The 19 cities on this site together had 6,869,249 inhabitants in 2020 on the same basis, and Santo Domingo accounts for 15.2% of them; the next larger city, Santo Domingo East, had 1,161,393 and the next smaller, Santiago de los Caballeros, 750,011.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyHow many women and men live in Santo Domingo?
Women and girls made up 52.5% of residents of Santo Domingo in 2020 (547,239 female, 495,947 male), the highest among the 19 Dominican cities on this site on that share.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyHow densely populated is Santo Domingo?
The city proper of Santo Domingo covers 92 km², which gives 11,391 people per km², the most densely populated among the 19 Dominican cities on this site.
Source: United Nations Statistics Division · saved copyNotes from the UN table: Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections. Data refer to national projections.
The UN marks this figure as an estimate of lower reliability.
Who runs Santo Domingo?
In the Dominican Republic, cities and towns are run by municipalities: Mayor (alcalde) and council (concejo de regidores) elected for four years. Waste, markets, local roads, urban planning, municipal police (Law 176-07).
How local power works in the Dominican Republic
Cities of a similar size in the Dominican Republic
- Santo Domingo East - Santo Domingo Este 1,161,393
- Santiago de los Caballeros 750,011
- Santo Domingo North - Santo Domingo Norte 647,894
- Santo Domingo West - Santo Domingo Oeste 444,681
- Los Alcarrizos 333,836
- Higüey 325,011
- San Cristóbal 260,332
- La Vega 258,857
- San Pedro de Macorís 205,067
- San Francisco de Macoris 194,198
- Moca 185,572
- Boca Chica 173,812
- Baní 168,484
Up a level: all cities in the Dominican Republic · the Dominican Republic · government and power
Sources
- Dirección General de Presupuesto (DIGEPRES), Ministerio de Hacienda y Economía: Ejecución de los Gobiernos Locales 2025 (annexes 1 to 3: revenue by source, transfers under Law 166-03 and spending by economic class, by municipal entity), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a066651704c3…)
- Ministerio de Hacienda y Economía: Estadísticas de Proyectos de Inversión por Ubicación Geográfica, 2017-2025 (central government capital projects, budget and amount incurred by municipality; saved gzip-compressed, unchanged), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0af8bb8bf987…)
- Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social (MISPAS): Establecimientos de Salud Públicos, 1878-2026 (list of public health establishments with level of care, type, province, municipality and opening year), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 89e347229ca0…)
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants (Dominican Republic: official estimates for 1 July 2020 reported by the country), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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