The Dominican Republic is not usually ranked among the world’s poorest countries ; in recent sources on development, it is described as a country with sustained economic growth but still facing poverty and inequality. One recent source places it at 41st out of 127 countries on the Global Hunger Index , which is a hunger and food-security measure, not a poverty ranking.

What that means

“Poorest countries” can be measured in different ways, so the answer depends on the index. Using broader development measures, the Dominican Republic is generally considered a middle-income developing country , not one of the very poorest globally.

Useful context

  • A recent overview notes that the country has had decades of economic growth, but poverty and climate-related vulnerability remain serious issues.
  • Another source says around 5% of the population experiences undernourishment, while about 35% faces moderate food insecurity.
  • In HDI-based discussions, countries with scores below 0.70 are typically grouped as lower development, but the Dominican Republic is not listed among the lowest countries in the cited ranking snapshot.

Plain answer

If you mean “How poor is it compared with other countries?” , the Dominican Republic is not near the bottom globally ; it sits in the developing-middle range rather than the poorest tier. If you mean a specific ranking like GDP per capita, HDI, or poverty rate, the position will change depending on the metric.

TL;DR

The Dominican Republic is not among the poorest countries in the world ; it is better described as a developing middle-income country with ongoing poverty and inequality challenges.