DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The government has issued welfare benefit cards to about half of the Dominican population, the intent being to complement the income of the poor. This means state subsidies have increased 45% in the past five years, since the start of the Abinader administration, Diario Libre reports.

An analysis by the Regional Center for Sustainable Economic Strategies (Crees) has revealed that in 2024, more than 5.5 million Dominicans, or more than half of the population, received some form of government assistance. The number of beneficiaries has increased by 45% in the past five years, from 3.8 million in 2019 to 5.5 million in 2024.

In 2022, 51.1% of the population received aid from taxpayer-funded programs, a 3% increase from 2023. Crees attributes the increase to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the government expanded its subsidy programs to help...