Dominican Republic: Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Dominican Republic's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 12.5% on 2023 (from 2.4 to 2.1).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2023), the average change was −2% and a typical year strayed about 7.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 13.6% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.9% in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.08 a year. A straight line explains 73% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Dominican Republic had the 15th highest value of the 20 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Dominican Republic in the 2024 ranking

• Bolivia — 13th of 20: 2.4
• Panama — 14th of 20: 2.4
• Argentina — 15th of 20: 2.1
• Thailand — 17th of 20: 2
• Chile — 18th of 20: 1.6
• Uruguay — 19th of 20: 1.4

What this measures

The average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28 per day (adjusted for differences in purchasing power parity across countries). It is measured as the average factor by which incomes fall short of $28.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 30 values

Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 2.1 (2024)
• Bolivia — 2.4 (2024)
• Brazil — 2.7 (2024)
• Chile — 1.6 (2024)
• Colombia — 4.7 (2024)
• Costa Rica — 1.7 (2025)
• Ecuador — 3.1 (2025)
• El Salvador — 3.6 (2023)
• Honduras

More poverty data for Dominican Republic

• Income share held by second 20% — 10.7% (2024)
• Income share held by third 20% — 15.4% (2024)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.3% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 45.4% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 29.5% (2024)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 15.3% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.3% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 6.1% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Dominican Republic's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)?

2.1 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1986?

It is down 44.74% from 3.8 in 1986 (1.55% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.2 in 1989 and the lowest 2.1 in 2024.

How does Dominican Republic rank?

15th highest of 20 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) unusual for Dominican Republic?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.SPR.PGAP, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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