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TL;DR
The Marshall Islands completed Enra’s first year, sending four quarterly payments to eligible citizens living in the country. Lawmakers approved $32.5 million for the second year, but the program has not yet published an evaluation showing its effects on households or the economy.
Enra, formally called the **Individual Support Distribution**, pays eligible Marshallese citizens who live in the country, including children. There is **no means test or work requirement**. Citizens living overseas are not eligible. The payment is a share of a fixed annual budget, so the amount per person can change as the registered population changes.
The first payment went out on **November 26, 2025**, and four quarterly payments followed through August 2026. According to the Marshall Islands Journal, citing the Social Security Administration’s administrator, the last payment was **$215.85 per person to 40,714 people**. President Hilda Heine has said that represented more than 95% of the resident population. The payment agency’s figure describes recipients; the president’s estimate of population coverage is a separate claim.
Early payments were about **$200 per person**. As registrations grew, the March 2026 payment fell to about $160 because the annual pot had to be divided among more people. A **$3.2 million World Bank grant** helped raise the third and fourth payments to about $200, with the final payment reported at $215.85. The next year’s budget includes $32.5 million for Enra and a separate $3.2 million “Enra Top Up,” compared with a $27.6 million Enra budget line for the first year.
Infographic 01 · Enra, the first year
Four payments, one fixed pot
How the Marshall Islands paid a basic income to almost every resident citizen between November 2025 and August 2026.
- Nov 2025First payment: $201.92 to more than 33,000 people. MISSA had enrolled 33,119 by 30 Sep 2025.Launch ceremony in Majuro, 26 Nov
- End Mar 2026About $160. Delayed a month to vet new registrations and residence. More than 37,000 registered, same fixed budget.Citizens away more than 3 months are removed from the list, with exceptions
- End May 2026About $200 again, thanks to a $3.2 million World Bank grant ($1.6 million per quarter). More than 41,000 on the eligible list.Pushed by the president over fuel and food prices
- Aug 2026$215.85 to 40,714 people. Fewer paper checks than in earlier rounds.MISSA administrator to the Marshall Islands Journal
Payment per person, year one
US dollars per quarter · March and May rounded as reported
Why the amount moves
- Enra is a fixed annual budget shared equally among everyone eligible that quarter.
- More registrations mean a smaller share unless the budget grows.
- Roughly $780 per person in year one, about 12% of GDP per person (IMF: $6,417, FY2023). My arithmetic.
Sources: Marshall Islands Journal (27 Nov 2025, 26 Feb, 22 May, 6 Aug, 27 Aug 2026) · IMF, 10 Sep 2025. March and May amounts as reported (“about”).
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A Larger Commitment, Limited Evidence
The year-one record offers evidence about **reach and administration**, not yet about long-term results. The final payment’s recipient count and the president’s coverage estimate suggest the scheme reached a large share of residents, while changes in payment size show how enrollment growth affects each person’s share of a fixed fund.
That distinction matters as governments debate income support amid concerns about **automation and AI-related job changes**. Enra is a nationwide policy rather than a small, time-limited trial, but one year of payments without a published evaluation cannot establish whether it reduced poverty, improved health or education, changed employment, or affected prices. It also cannot, by itself, show how a similar scheme would work in a larger or wealthier country.
The program is backed by a particular funding arrangement, rather than a recurring tax base. That makes its budget decisions and trust-fund outlook relevant to whether the current payment level can continue. A larger second-year appropriation signals a near-term commitment; it does not establish that the same level is sustainable indefinitely.
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How Enra Reached Its First Year
The government launched Enra in November 2025 as a **quarterly payment for resident citizens**. The Ministry of Finance describes it as “the world’s first country-wide, long-term universal basic income program.” That is the government’s characterization; the source material does not provide an independent comparison of all national payment programs.
The Marshall Islands Social Security Administration manages the eligible-person list, while the Ministry of Finance oversees the funds. Payments can be made by **check, bank deposit or the Lomalo phone wallet**. The digital wallet received attention because it can deliver USDM1, a digital instrument associated with a public blockchain. The finance ministry says USDM1 is backed one-to-one by short-dated US Treasuries and rejects descriptions of it as a cryptocurrency, central bank digital currency or stablecoin. The number of Enra recipients using the wallet has not been published.
The source article says funding comes from a trust fund created under the **Compact of Free Association with the United States**. It places the fund’s value at about $1.77 billion at the end of July 2026. The IMF estimated Enra’s cost at 8.1% of GDP in fiscal 2026 and urged the government to replace it “at the first feasible opportunity” with a targeted program.
Impact and Long-Term Funding Remain Open
No **published evaluation of Enra** was identified in the source material. It is therefore unclear what effects the first year had on household finances, poverty, work, health, education or local prices. The reported payment totals show distribution, but do not answer those questions.
Several operational details are also not public in the material available: the number of recipients using Lomalo, the precise number of people eligible in each quarter, and how much of the funding is expected to be available in later years. The source reports that the IMF wants a targeted replacement, but does not establish whether the government plans to adopt that recommendation.
The source article estimates that a resident received roughly $780 during the first year and compares it with GDP per person. That is the article’s calculation, not a direct measure of a household’s income or the program’s effect; GDP per person is not the same as a recipient’s earnings or living costs.
Second-Year Payments and Program Review
The immediate next step is delivery of the **second-year appropriation**: $32.5 million for Enra, alongside the $3.2 million top-up included in the budget passed on September 18, 2026. The trust fund committee approved the Enra amount on September 2. The source material does not give a date or per-person amount for the next payment.
Further reporting will need to track the payment schedule, enrollment and payment amounts, as well as any evaluation or public data on household outcomes. Decisions on future funding and the government’s response to the IMF’s recommendation will help show whether Enra continues in its current form.
Key Questions
What is Enra?
Enra is the Marshall Islands’ Individual Support Distribution, a quarterly payment for citizens who live in the country. It has no means test or work requirement and includes children.
How much did people receive in the first year?
The amount varied by quarter as the eligible list changed and funding was added. The final payment, in August 2026, was reported as $215.85 per person for 40,714 recipients. The source article estimates total first-year payments at roughly $780 per resident recipient.
Who pays for Enra?
The source article says Enra is funded through a trust fund established under the Compact of Free Association with the United States. A World Bank grant also added $3.2 million during the first year.
Has Enra been shown to reduce poverty or improve outcomes?
No published program evaluation is identified in the source material. The first year confirms that payments were distributed, but the available reporting does not establish their wider effects.
What is planned for Enra’s second year?
The 2026 budget includes $32.5 million for Enra and a separate $3.2 million top-up. The source material does not specify the date or amount of the next individual payment.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
