Government and power in the Dominican Republic
Who leads the Dominican Republic, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.
Who leads the Dominican Republic?
- Head of state: Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (Presidente de la República Dominicana)
- Head of government: No Prime Minister
- Foreign minister: Victor O. Bisonó Haza (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de la República Dominicana)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does the Dominican Republic score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 64 out of 100 in 2025, 76th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 64). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 59.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does the Dominican Republic score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 76.2 out of 100 in 2025, 61st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 69.9). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 67.4.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does the Dominican Republic score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 53.2 out of 100 in 2025, 95th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 52.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 48.9.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does the Dominican Republic score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 58.7 out of 100 in 2025, 70th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 53.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 54.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does the Dominican Republic score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 56.6 out of 100 in 2025, 92nd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 53.5). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 50.9.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does the Dominican Republic score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 48.2 out of 100 in 2025, 81st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 40.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 32.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in the Dominican Republic's parliament?
Women held 37.4% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 39th highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of the Dominican Republic's ministers are women?
Women held 9.5% of ministerial posts in 2025, 160th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of the Dominican Republic spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 18.1% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of the Dominican Republic collect?
Central government tax revenue was 14.7% of GDP in 2024, 64th highest of 92.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the Dominican Republic spend on the military?
Military spending was 0.8% of GDP in 2025, 123rd highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of the Dominican Republic?
Armed forces personnel numbered 71,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are the Dominican Republic's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 75.2 out of 100 in 2024, 78th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in the Dominican Republic?
92.2% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2019).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in the Dominican Republic use the internet?
91.0% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in the Dominican Republic
Government
- Presidency of the RepublicPresidential decrees, press releases and government announcements.
- Single Government Services PortalCentral catalogue of government services and procedures.
Parliament
- Chamber of DeputiesBills, session records and deputy information for the lower chamber of Congress.
- SenateBills, session records and senator information for the upper chamber.
Elections
- Central Electoral BoardElection organisation, official results and civil registry services.
Courts
- Judiciary (Supreme Court of Justice)Supreme Court rulings, case search and judiciary statistics.
- Constitutional CourtConstitutional rulings and case documents.
Ombudsman
- OmbudsmanRights reports, complaint handling and recommendations to public bodies.
Access to information
- Directorate General of Government Ethics and IntegrityOversees the access-to-information law and transparency portals, and mediates disputes over information requests.
Public contracts
- Directorate General of Public ProcurementGoverns public procurement and publishes tenders, contracts and supplier data.
Laws and the official gazette
- Legal Counsel of the Executive BranchLaws, decrees and the Official Gazette of the Dominican Republic.
Government below the national level
- Regions (10) and provinces (31): Provincial governors appointed by the president
- Municipalities (157) and the National District: Mayor (alcalde) and council (concejo de regidores) elected for four years
- Municipal districts (235): Director and board members (vocales) elected for four years
How local power works in the Dominican Republic
Places in the Dominican Republic
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.