Dominican Republic scores 71.9/100 on the 2023 RSF World Press Freedom Index, ranking #43 globally. Freedom House rates it Partly Free (68/100). Context: pop 10.7 million, GDP $88.94B.
2023 Press Freedom Scorecard
Overall score and global position
In the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, Dominican Republic scores 71.88 out of 100 and ranks #43 globally — a broadly open press environment. Of the 25 Freedom House indicators, Dominican Republic earns 5 at the maximum 4/4 and 0 at 0/4; its strongest category is Freedom of Expression (14/16) and its weakest is Rule of Law (8/16).
71.9 / 100
Composite index comparison
Press freedom score — higher is freer.
Elections, political pluralism, government functioning.
Freedom of expression, association, rule of law, personal autonomy.
Academic press-freedom index from the Varieties of Democracy project (0–1 rescaled to 0–100).
Five-year RSF trend
Over 2019–2023, Dominican Republic moved from 72.10 to 71.88 on the RSF scale (a decline of 0.22 points). The lowest recorded score was 71.88 and the highest was 76.90.
Year-over-year RSF movement
Dominican Republic's biggest single-year RSF movement in the 2019–2023 window was a loss of 5.02 points between 2022 (76.90) and 2023 (71.88).
| Years | From | To | Δ score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 → 2020 | 72.10 | 72.10 | ▲ 0.00 |
| 2020 → 2021 | 72.10 | 74.40 | ▲ 2.30 |
| 2021 → 2022 | 74.40 | 76.90 | ▲ 2.50 |
| 2022 → 2023 | 76.90 | 71.88 | ▼ -5.02 |
Full socio-economic dashboard
Demographics & geography
Economy & labour
Health
Education
Administration
All socio-economic indicators from the World Bank country dataset (2023 snapshot).
Democratic Rights & Civil Liberties
Freedom status explained
Freedom House classifies Dominican Republic as Partly Free with a 2024 aggregate score of 68/100 — political rights and civil liberties are respected in part but undercut by specific institutional or legal weaknesses.
Within Freedom House's Americas region (35 countries), Dominican Republic ranks #23 on the latest aggregate score — the 35th percentile. The region leaders are Canada, Uruguay, Barbados.
Political Rights vs Civil Liberties
Rating 3 of 7 (1 = best)
Rating 3 of 7 (1 = best)
Political rights and civil liberties are rated in similar territory, a sign that formal political channels and everyday personal freedoms move together in this country.
Twelve-year Freedom House trend
Between 2013 and 2024, Freedom House moved Dominican Republic from Free (Free, 75/100) to Partly Free (Partly Free, 68/100).
Status transitions
Freedom House records 1 status transition for Dominican Republic between 2016 and 2016 — each row below marks the year the classification flipped between Free, Partly Free, and Not Free.
| Year | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Free | → | Partly Free |
Indicator trajectory (A–G over 12 years)
Of the 25 Freedom House indicators tracked for Dominican Republic, 8 moved at least one point across the available Freedom House history. The eight with the largest absolute change appear below.
| Code | Indicator | Earliest | Latest | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Freedom of movement | 4/4 (2013) | 2/4 (2024) | ▼ -2 |
| A1 | Free and fair head-of-government elections | 4/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | ▼ -1 |
| B4 | Minority political rights | 2/4 (2013) | 1/4 (2024) | ▼ -1 |
| C1 | Elected officials govern | 4/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | ▼ -1 |
| C3 | Government transparency | 3/4 (2013) | 2/4 (2024) | ▼ -1 |
| D1 | Free media | 3/4 (2013) | 2/4 (2024) | ▼ -1 |
| B1 | Right to organise in political parties | 4/4 (2013) | 4/4 (2024) | • 0 |
| B2 | Opposition can gain power | 3/4 (2013) | 3/4 (2024) | • 0 |
Latest A–G indicator scorecard
Electoral Process
PR
-
A1Free and fair head-of-government elections
3/4
-
A2Free and fair legislative elections
3/4
-
A3Electoral laws and framework
3/4
Political Pluralism & Participation
PR
-
B1Right to organise in political parties
4/4
-
B2Opposition can realistically gain power
3/4
-
B3Free political choice without domination
3/4
-
B4Political rights of minorities
1/4
Functioning of Government
PR
-
C1Elected officials determine government policy
3/4
-
C2Safeguards against corruption
2/4
-
C3Transparency of government
2/4
Freedom of Expression & Belief
CL
-
D1Free and independent media
2/4
-
D2Freedom of religious expression
4/4
-
D3Academic freedom
4/4
-
D4Free private discussion
4/4
Associational & Organisational Rights
CL
-
E1Freedom of assembly
3/4
-
E2Freedom for NGOs
4/4
-
E3Free trade unions
3/4
Rule of Law
CL
-
F1Independent judiciary
3/4
-
F2Due process in civil and criminal matters
2/4
-
F3Protection from illegitimate force
2/4
-
F4Equal treatment under the law
1/4
Personal Autonomy & Individual Rights
CL
-
G1Freedom of movement
2/4
-
G2Property rights
3/4
-
G3Personal social freedoms
2/4
-
G4Equality of opportunity
2/4
Each indicator is scored 0–4 by Freedom House analysts; category subtotals combine into the Political Rights (A + B + C = 0–40) and Civil Liberties (D + E + F + G = 0–60) aggregates shown above. 2024 edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Dominican Republic see its biggest RSF press-freedom change?
The sharpest single-year shift was an deterioration of 5.02 points between 2022 (76.90) and 2023 (71.88) on the RSF index.
Has Dominican Republic changed Freedom House classification in the last 12 years?
Yes — Freedom House reclassified Dominican Republic from Free to Partly Free in 2016, and the classification has held since.
Which Freedom House indicator moved most in Dominican Republic?
Indicator G1 (Freedom of movement) changed by -2 points, moving from 4/4 to 2/4 across the available history — the biggest indicator-level movement of the 25 Freedom House sub-scores for Dominican Republic.
How does Dominican Republic rank within its Freedom House region?
Dominican Republic holds position #23 of 35 in the Americas region on the latest Freedom House aggregate score. The region's top country is Canada (97/100).
What is Dominican Republic's economic context for its press freedom score?
Dominican Republic has a GDP of $88.94B across a population of 10.7 million, giving a per-capita GDP of about $8,282. Its capital is Santo Domingo; the official language is Spanish.