Dominican Republic sets poverty reduction targets for 2028 and 2036

Dominican Vice President Raquel Peña announced government targets to reduce multidimensional poverty to 15% by 2028 and below 10% by 2036 as part of the 'Meta RD 2036' strategic plan. The plan aims to double the country's real GDP and create 1.7 million jobs by 2036.

During an event organized by the social development agency Supérate, officials reported significant progress in monetary poverty reduction. Data indicates that monetary poverty fell from 30.7% in 2021 to 17.3% in 2025, with preliminary figures for the first half of 2026 showing an average of 14.58%.

Additional social milestones include a reduction in undernourishment to less than 2.5%, which allowed the Dominican Republic to exit the FAO Hunger Map. The government attributed these improvements to increased household labor income, higher female employment, and expanded social protection programs such as 'Aliméntate' and 'Bono Gas,' which benefit approximately 1.4 million households.