The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) lowered the growth projection of the dominican economy in 2025, from the 3.7% that it had indicated last August. According to his calculations, for this year The country is emerging as the eighth nation that will grow the most in the region.
For him 2026also decreased its projection to 4.3%, from 4.8% which I had planned last August. However, with the new percentage, the Dominican Republic is emerging as the country that will grow the most in that year, if Guyana (24%) is excluded.
At the regional level, the ECLAC this Thursday improved its forecast for regional growth for this year compared to the last projection in April and raised its estimate to 2.4% after detecting “a international environment less adverse”.
“This adjustment in projections reflects a international environment less adverse than that predicted in April, but it does not alter the underlying diagnosis: the external impulse to growth has slowed and the region continues to grow at a low rate,” warned the United Nations agency, based in Santiago.
For 2026the ECLAC maintains the estimate of regional growth at 2.3%.
Third improvement in trade war
It is about the third improvement what does the ECLAC since the American president, donald trumpcame to power in January and started a trade war against most of its trading partners, including Latin America.
The reviewsthe organization explained, respond both to “modifications in the growth scenarios of international trade due to the effects of the tariff announcements made by the USA” as well as “adjustments in the growth prospects of the region’s main trading partners, whose pace, although it has slowed down compared to 2024, registers improvements.”
Venezuela, Paraguay and Argentinaat the head
Venezuela (6%), Paraguay (4.5%) and Argentina (4.3%) will lead the economic growth this year, according to new figures from ECLACfollowed by Panama (4.1%), Costa Rica (3.8%), Guatemala (3.7%), Honduras (3.3%) and the Dominican Republic (3.4%).
In the middle of the table are Peru (3.2%), Nicaragua (3.1%), Ecuador (3%), El Salvador (2.8%), Chile (2.6%), Brazil (2.5%), Colombia (2.5%) and Uruguay (2.3%).
At the bottom, but still with positive figures, are the islands of Caribbean -not counting Guyana and its oil boom- (1.9%), Bolivia (1%) and Mexico (0.6%), while Cuba (-1.5%) and Haiti (-2.3%) are the only ones that will decrease this year, according to the United Nations agency.
- Latin Americathe most unequal region in the world, closed both 2023 and 2024 with growth of 2.3%.
If the new estimate known this Thursday comes to fruition, the average growth of the Regional GDP for the period 2017–2026 It would be 1.6%, according to the institution.
To get out of what it considers the “trap of low capacity for growth”, the organization proposes “a productive transformation more accelerated that drives the economic growth and productivity, diversify economies and generate more and better jobs.
