The Dominican Republic has become one of the main destinations for Guatemalan exports in the Caribbean and still offers room for significant growth in domestic sales.
According to data from the Guatemalan Export Association (Agexport), Guatemala exported US$283 million to the Dominican Republic in 2025, while imports from that country totaled US$32 millionwhich left a favorable trade balance of US$251 million.
The trade relationship has shown a growth trend over the last decade. In 2015, Guatemalan exports to that market amounted to US$151 million, a figure that increased to US$283 million in 2025.
In this context, A delegation made up of more than 35 Guatemalan manufacturing, agribusiness and service companies participates in a trade mission in Santo Domingo, considered the largest organized by Guatemala towards that country. The agenda includes business conferences, bilateral meetings, technical visits and meetings with buyers and Dominican authorities.
High potential
Agexport’s market intelligence studies They identify an additional potential to export goods for US$279 million and services for US$21 million, for a total of US$300 million.
The greatest opportunities for goods are concentrated in agricultural products, crafts, glass, construction materials, beverages, soaps and detergents, coffee, personal hygiene products, processed foods and confectionery. The agricultural segment alone represents opportunities for US$25 million, while the crafts and glass categories reach US$13 million each.
In services, the opportunities identified are mainly in travel, with a potential of US$10 million, followed by business services (US$4 million), financial services (US$3 million), and telecommunications and computing services (US$2 million).
At the moment, Manufacturing dominates Guatemalan supply to the Dominican Republic. Of the US$283 million exported in 2025, US$265 million corresponded to this sector, equivalent to 93% of the total. Clothing and textiles contributed US$13 million and agricultural products, US$5 million.
Among the products with the highest sales are medicines, mixtures of odoriferous substances, glass containers, cleaning products, processed foods, non-alcoholic beverages and confectionery items. Glass containers recorded one of the largest increases, going from US$7.7 million in 2024 to US$17.5 millionnes in 2025.
Regional relevance
The importance of the Dominican market is also reflected in regional trade. During 2024, Central America exported US$878 million to the Dominican Republic. Guatemala ranked second among suppliers in the region, with sales of US$286 million, only behind Costa Rica, which recorded US$318 million.
The trade mission also coincides with the launch of the Guatemala-Dominican Republic Political Business Forum, a mechanism agreed upon by both governments to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation.
With exports that already exceed US$280 million annually and an additional potential similar to the value currently sold, the Dominican Republic is among the markets with the greatest room for expansion for Guatemalan companies in the Caribbean.