The Dominican Republic is an Hispanic country. Thus, as with all Hispanic countries in the Americas, its culture has many elements that originate in Spain but also the culture is blended with African and indigenous American cultural elements. Castilian Spanish is the National language, but other languages such as English, French, German and Italian are present. African cultural elements are most prominent in musical expressions and the carnival vibe of life, testimony to the rich African heritage that existed before and after slavery. Taino cultural elements exist mostly in foods such as casabe (a type of tortilla but made using casava instead of corn) and language. There are also more recent Antillean and Anglo-American influences. Near the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic, some people practice santaria.

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic and there are many famous Dominicans who play Major League Baseball in the U.S. The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league which runs from October to January. Many MLB players and minor leaguers play in this six-team league during off-season. As such, the Dominican winter league serves as an important "training ground" for the MLB.

Eighty-nine percent of Dominicans are baptised in the Roman Catholic Church. Other substantial religious groups are the Evangelical Christians and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Around one percent of the nation's inhabitants practice pure spiritism.