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TL;DR
The Marshall Islands has completed the first year of Enra, a quarterly payment for eligible citizens living in the country. The government approved $32.5 million for the program’s second year, but no published evaluation yet shows how the payments affected households, work or poverty.
The Marshall Islands completed Enra’s first year, sending four quarterly payments to eligible citizens living in the country, and approved $32.5 million for year two. The national program offers a real-world case for debates about income support as artificial intelligence changes work, but its effects remain hard to measure: no evaluation of Enra has been published.
The first payment went out on November 26, 2025. By the fourth payment, in August 2026, the Social Security Administration had paid $215.85 to 40,714 people, according to its administrator as reported by the Marshall Islands Journal. President Hilda Heine said the figure represented more than 95% of the resident population. The program covers citizens who live in the Marshall Islands, from children to retirees; citizens living abroad are not eligible.
Enra is the government’s name for its Individual Support Distribution. The annual budget is divided among eligible recipients and paid quarterly, so the per-person amount can change as enrollment changes or extra money is added. The first payment was $201.92. When the eligible list grew, a later payment fell to about $160. A $3.2 million World Bank grant helped raise the third and fourth payments to about $200 or more. The final payment reached $215.85, according to the reported MISSA figures.
On September 2, the US–Marshall Islands trust fund committee approved $32.5 million for Enra’s second year. Parliament passed a budget on September 18 that included the same amount for the program and a separate $3.2 million “Enra Top Up.” The previous year’s budget line was $27.6 million. The program is funded through a trust fund established under the Compact of Free Association with the United States, rather than through a new tax. The fund was valued at about $1.77 billion at the end of July 2026, according to the source report.
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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What a National Payment Can Show
Enra offers a rare test of a regular, country-wide payment, rather than a limited pilot involving a small sample for a fixed period. Its first year shows that a government can distribute money to a large share of its resident citizens across a geographically dispersed country. The payment options include checks, bank deposits and Lomalo, a phone wallet, giving the program several ways to reach people outside the main population centers.
That experience is relevant to AI discussions because proposals for basic income often rest on the idea that income support may be needed if technology changes employment. But Enra cannot yet establish whether a payment would offset job losses caused by AI, how recipients change their work, or whether the system would be affordable in a larger economy. It is evidence of delivery at national scale, not yet evidence of long-term effects. The source material reports no published assessment of changes in poverty, household spending, health, education or employment.
Cost is also part of the lesson. The International Monetary Fund estimated Enra’s fiscal 2026 cost at 8.1% of GDP and urged the government to replace it “at the first feasible opportunity” with a targeted program. That concern reflects the budget burden in the Marshall Islands; it does not by itself determine whether universal payments would be suitable elsewhere, where tax systems, public services and funding sources differ.
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How Enra Reached Its First Year
Enra began in November 2025 as a fixed annual pool shared among eligible residents. The growing enrollment list affected the size and timing of payments. After the first distribution to more than 33,000 people, the second payment was delayed until late March 2026 while officials reviewed new registrations and residency. The finance minister said immigration records were used to check time spent abroad; the reported rules remove people who remain away for more than three months, with exceptions for some students, patients and diplomats.
Enrollment later exceeded 41,000, according to the source report, before the August distribution reached 40,714 people. The government said a World Bank grant supplemented the program amid high fuel and food prices. Adding the reported payments gives a rough first-year total of about $780 per recipient, though the precise amount varied by payment and eligibility. The source compares that estimate with GDP per person, but such a comparison is not a measure of a household’s income or the program’s effects.
Enra also uses a digital payment option that drew attention because Lomalo can deliver a token called USDM1 on a public blockchain. The finance ministry describes it as a US-dollar sovereign bond backed one-to-one by short-dated US Treasuries and rejects the labels cryptocurrency, central bank digital currency and stablecoin. The wallet is one of three payment methods; the number of recipients using it has not been published. The reported practical challenge is distance: bank branches are concentrated on Majuro and Ebeye, while mailed checks can take weeks to reach outer islands.
What Year One Cannot Yet Answer
There is no published evaluation of Enra in the source material, so its effects on recipients and the wider economy remain unknown. The reported payment totals and reach do not show whether the program reduced hardship, affected employment decisions, improved access to services or changed household spending. Nor do they establish how benefits compare with the costs of other public programs.
Some operational details are also missing. The number of people using Lomalo has not been released, and the figures provided do not explain all differences between enrollment totals and the number paid in the final round. The exact future payment per person will depend on enrollment, funding and program rules. The government’s claim that Enra is the first long-term nationwide program is presented as its own; the source says comparable programs elsewhere have generally been annual dividends or limited trials.
For AI policy, the key limitation is that Enra was not described as a response to AI-driven job losses. Its first year therefore cannot directly show how a basic income would perform during widespread automation or in a country with a different economy and public budget.
Second-Year Funding and Evaluation
The immediate next step is the second year of payments, backed by the $32.5 million budget allocation and the additional $3.2 million top-up approved by parliament. Future distributions will show whether the larger funding line changes payment amounts or reduces the fluctuations caused by enrollment growth. The source material does not specify a schedule for the next payment.
For a clearer assessment, readers will need published information on enrollment, payment delivery, household outcomes and program costs over time. The IMF has called for a move toward targeted support, while the government has funded Enra for another year. Whether officials will publish an evaluation, change eligibility or payment rules, or adopt the IMF’s recommendation remains unclear. Until then, the strongest conclusion is limited: Enra has reached a large share of residents, but its broader impact is not yet documented.
Key Questions
What is Enra?
Enra is the Marshall Islands’ Individual Support Distribution, a quarterly payment for eligible Marshallese citizens who live in the country. The program includes children and has no means test or work requirement, according to the source report.
How much did recipients receive in the first year?
The amount varied by quarter as enrollment and supplemental funding changed. The fourth payment was $215.85 per person, and the source estimates that a recipient received roughly $780 over the year.
How is the program funded?
Enra is funded through a trust fund established under the Compact of Free Association with the United States. The second-year budget includes $32.5 million for the program, plus a separate $3.2 million top-up.
Has Enra shown that universal basic income works?
Not yet. The reported first-year figures show payment reach and distribution amounts, but no published evaluation establishes effects on poverty, employment or other household outcomes.
Does the Marshall Islands program answer questions about AI and jobs?
Only in a limited way. Enra provides a national example of distributing regular payments, but the available information does not show how it would respond to AI-related job losses or whether its results would apply to larger economies.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
