STATISTICS: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Dominican Republic Official name: Repblica Dominicana (Dominican Republic). Form of government: multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Senate ; Chamber of Deputies ). Head of state and government: President. Capital: Santo Domingo. Official language: Spanish. Official religion: none{1}. Monetary unit: 1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = RD$15.80; 1 = RD$26.90. Demography Population (1998): 7,883,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 419.5, persons per sq km 162.0. Urban-rural (1993): urban 55.5%; rural 44.5%. Sex distribution (1993): male 49.90%; female 50.10%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 35.1%; 15-29, 29.0%; 30-44, 19.8%; 45-59, 9.9%; 60-74, 4.9%; 75 and over, 1.3%. Population projection: (2000) 8,142,000; (2010) 9,503,000. Doubling time: 38 years. Ethnic composition (1993): mixed 73%; white 16%; black 11%. Religious affiliation (1995): Roman Catholic 81.8%; Protestant 6.4%; other Christian 0.6%; other 11.2%. Major urban centres (1993): Santo Domingo 1,555,656{2}; Santiago 364,859; La Romana 132,834; San Francisco de Macors 129,943; San Pedro de Macors 123,987. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1996): 23.5 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1996): 5.7 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 17.8 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1996): 2.7 Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1992): 3.6. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 66.9 years; female 71.3 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1985){3}: diseases of the circulatory system 165; infectious and parasitic diseases 85; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 45; diseases of the respiratory system 41. National economy Budget (1995-96). Revenue: RD$26,494,000,000 (tax revenue 87.8%, of which taxes on goods and services 45.5%, import duties 24.7%, income taxes 16.7%; nontax revenue 6.3%; grants and loans 5.9%). Expenditures: RD$26,846,000,000 (development expenditure 53.9%; current expenditure 46.1%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$3,515,000,000. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$12,765,000,000 (U.S.$1,600 per capita). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (value of production in RD$'000,000; 1995): coffee 2,067, rice 1,781, chicken meat 1,692, sugarcane 1,586, milk 1,524, plantains 1,238, beef 1,077, beans 1,043, cacao beans 535, eggs 507, bananas 495, fish 110; roundwood (1995) 982,300 cu m. Mining (1996): nickel 30,400; gold 122,501 troy oz. Manufacturing (1995-96){4}: cement 1,551,000; refined sugar 109,900; beer 2,010,000 hectolitres; rum 395,600 hectolitres; cigarettes 201,800,000 20-unit packs. Construction (value of authorized private construction in RD$'000,000; 1992): 2,519. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1995) 6,044,000,000 (3,292,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1994) none (104,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1994) none (14,594,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 1,782,000 (3,199,000); natural gas, none (none). Tourism (1995): receipts U.S.$1,604,000,000; expenditures U.S.$85,000,000. Population economically active (1991){5}: total 2,758,000; activity rate of total population 37.6% (participation rates: age 10 and over, 50.3%; female 29.0%; unemployed 28.0%). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1993) 3.9; average income: n.a.; sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1980-85): food and beverages 46.0%, housing 10.0%, household goods 8.0%. Land use (1994): forested 12.4%; meadows and pastures 43.4%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 30.6%; other 13.6%. Foreign trade{6} Imports (1995): U.S.$2,786,000,000 (crude petroleum and petroleum products 21.7%; agricultural products 17.2%, of which cereals 5.3%). Major import sources{5}: U.S. 44%; Venezuela 11%; Mexico 6%; Japan 5%. Exports (1995): U.S.$766,000,000{7} (ferronickel 31.6%; raw sugar 13.3%; raw coffee 10.6%; cacao 7.1%; gold 5.4%). Major export destinations: U.S. 47.6%; The Netherlands 14.1%; Puerto Rico 6.5%; South Korea 4.6%; Canada 4.4%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1995){8}: route length 1,083 mi, 1,743 km. Roads (1995): total length 7,643 mi, 12,300 km (paved 49%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 209,000; trucks and buses 141,400. Air transport (1994){9}: passenger-mi 145,396,000, passenger-km 233,992,000; short ton-mi cargo 1,738,000, metric ton-km cargo 2,537,000: airports (1997) 7. Education and health Educational attainment (1981). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 48.0%; incomplete primary education 31.7%; complete primary 4.0%; secondary 14.0%; higher 2.3%. Literacy (1995): total population age 15 and over literate, c. 4,164,000 (82.1%); males literate, c. 2,118,000 (82.0%); females literate, c. 2,046,000 (82.2%). Health (1994): physicians{10} 6,869 (1 per 1,076 persons); hospital beds{10} 8,621 (1 per 858 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1996) 47.7. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,323 (vegetable products 84%, animal products 16%); 103% of FAO recommended minimum. Military Total active duty personnel (1996): 24,500 (army 61.2%, navy 16.3%, air force 22.5%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1994): 1.1% (world 3.0%); per capita expenditure U.S.$16. {1} Roman Catholicism is the state religion per concordat with Vatican City. {2} Urban population of national district. {3} Projected rates based on about 60% of total deaths. {4} Excludes free-zone sector for reexport (mostly ready-made garments) employing (1995) 184,000. {5} Estimated figures. {6} Excludes free zones. {7} Excludes 1995 reexports of free zones equaling U.S.$1,764,000,000. {8} Most track is privately owned and serves the sugar industry only. {9} Dominicana and Dominair airlines. {10} Public sector only.