13 countries with active universal basic income and guaranteed basic income programs
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- Universal basic income and guaranteed basic income programs offer unconditional, recurring payments.
- Basic income pilots are active in the US but have also been tried worldwide.
- Countries like Kenya and South Korea support basic income programs that assist residents.
As cities and states in the US continue to launch basic income programs, countries around the world are also experimenting with the no-strings-attached money initiatives.
Basic income — recurring, unconditional payments — can describe two different programs: universal basic income (UBI) or guaranteed basic income (GBI).
UBI does not distinguish between recipients, while GBI targets specific communities.
Both kinds of programs provide funds for people to spend where they need it most, as opposed to government assistance programs like SNAP or Medicaid that target specific spending categories, like food and healthcare.
Though experts continue to debate the pros and cons of universal basic income, the Stanford Basic Income Lab reports that 12 countries besides the US have active basic income initiatives.
Here are countries with active basic income programs, listed in alphabetical order. All monetary values have been converted into US dollars.
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In Maricá, Brazil, the Citizens' Basic Income program provides universal basic income to over 93,000 of the city's 197,000 residents. The program was launched in 2019 to revamp the city's basic income endeavor and increase participation.
All recipients are residents of Maricá and in Brazil's federal registry for social programs, which identifies low-income households.
In 2013, the city formed the Banco Mumbuca — a community bank that issues a digital currency called mumbuca. The currency can only be used via card or app in the city and is not convertible to cash. Maricá has offered some residents a form of basic income in monthly mumbuca payments since then.
In 2019, the program began paying $57 in mumbuca monthly to individuals — previously, payments were made to households.
The Citizens' Basic Income program was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. From April 2020 to December 2021, the payment increased to $127. In May 2022, it decreased to $79.
At the end of 2023, the program increased payments to $84 and expanded to over 93,000 residents.
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It's been about 50 years since Canada's UBI experiment was launched in Manitoba. And now, a GBI program is active in the country.
In British Columbia, the government runs the Agreements with Young Adults guaranteed basic income program, which targets young people previously in foster care or legally removed from their families.
The program began in 2022 and focuses on people between the ages of 19 and 26 who have aged out of youth care.
It is structured in six-month agreements, during which recipients receive up to $1,250 monthly, depending on individual needs.
The program aims to cover living expenses like housing, food, and transportation to help young people finish school, complete a rehabilitation program, or attend other life skills training.
Recipients can be a part of the program for a total of 48 months.
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In Macau, the government runs a universal basic income program for residents called the Wealth Partaking Scheme.
Since 2008, the government of Macau has provided unconditional basic income to its permanent and non-permanent residents. Individuals must have a Macau identity card to receive the payments.
Residents receive the lump sum payment by check, whereas specific residents, such as retired civil servants, can receive bank transfers.
The annual payment is not fixed and is subject to changing regulations each year. Each year, the Macau government announces its stipulations for payments. In 2024, permanent residents received $1,250, while non-permanent residents received $750.
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Mein Grundeinkommen, which translates to "my basic income," is a German nonprofit that provides basic income via a raffle.
Mein Grundeinkommen is based in Berlin and began the raffle in 2014. Since then, the program has had 1,500 winners.
Anyone can participate in the Mein Grundeinkommen raffle, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or income.
Mein Grundeinkommen runs two programs. The "utopian basic income" program provides $1,100 monthly for one year. Meanwhile, the "realistic basic income" program provides up to $1,320 monthly for three years, depending on the participant's income.
Alongside the raffle, the Berlin-based nonprofit ran a basic income pilot from 2021 to 2024 called Pilotprojekt Grundeinkommen.
In the pilot, 122 people received about $1,320 monthly for three years. The last payment was made in May 2024. Researchers are analyzing the data, and results are expected in January 2025.
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In Tamil Nadu, a state in Southeast India, the government is piloting a guaranteed basic income program for women called the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai, which roughly translates to "women's rights grant."
The program provides basic income for women in the region who are responsible for supporting themselves or their families.
Eligibility requirements target women with limited access to land and electricity. Participants must be women aged 21 or older with an annual family income of roughly $3,000 or less.
Participants receive about $12 monthly. The income transfers began in September 2023 and are expected to run for a year.
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In 2010, the Iranian government implemented the Targeted Subsidies Reform Act, which began direct payment transfers to the country's residents.
Iran's direct payment transfers provide basic income to over 70 million people, according to Stanford Basic Income Lab.
Participants get about $4 monthly, which translates to about 29% of household median income, according to Stanford Basic Income Lab.
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The Irish Government is running a Basic Income for the Arts pilot program.
Any artist in Ireland could apply for the program, and 2,000 eligible people were randomly selected in 2022.
The program provides a stipend of $350 a week, which is paid monthly, until 2025.
The pilot is designed to gauge the effects of basic income on providing financial stability for those working in the arts and creative fields.
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GiveDirectly, a nonprofit that runs basic income programs globally, has led a basic income pilot in Kenya since 2018.
The program provides universal basic income to individuals in over 200 rural villages in Kenya. According to Stanford Basic Income Lab, there are 20,847 active participants.
The basic income pilot split people into three randomized groups:
- The first group received $22.50 monthly for 12 years.
- The second group received $22.50 monthly for two years.
- The third group received a $500 lump-sum payment when the program began.
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In 2022, GiveDirectly launched a universal basic income pilot in Liberia, in the country's southeastearn Maryland County.
The program has reached 13,795 recipients, according to GiveDirectly.
Villages in Liberia are randomly targeted, and all individuals receive monthly payments for 36 months totaling $1,224.
The program is scheduled to run for three years.
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The Safety Income Project is a guaranteed income policy pilot in Seoul, South Korea.
The program was launched in 2022 and is managed by the Seoul city government. It is also affiliated with the Seoul Welfare Foundation.
The program targets households with incomes below the median income level in Seoul and is split into two phases.
Phase 1 involves 500 households and runs from July 2022 to June 2025, while phase 2 involves 1,100 households and runs from July 2023 to June 2025.
Phase 1 includes households with incomes at or below 50% of the median income in Seoul, and phase 2 includes households with incomes at or below 85% of the median income level.
For both phases, the program matches half of the difference between the recipient's actual household income and the 85% threshold of median income.
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In Togo, the government runs a basic income program called Novissi. Novissi means solidarity in the Éwé language, spoken in Togo.
Novissi was launched in 2020 and originally focused on workers in urban areas impacted by COVID-19.
Since then, it's expanded to rural areas and targets low-income workers. Men and women receive $19.41 and $64.70 bi-monthly, respectively, according to Stanford Basic Income Lab.
The program has over 800,000 recipients, according to Stanford Basic Income Lab.
The funding is a mix of public and private. Institutions affiliated with the program include GiveDirectly, UC Berkeley's Center for Effective Global Action, Innovations for Poverty Action, and more.
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In Wales, the Basic Income for Care Leavers program provides funding to young adults who were in youth care programs.
In the UK, the term care leavers describes 18 year olds who are leaving foster or legal authority care.
The Welsh government targeted people who turned 18 years old between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. The program will run until 2025.
The program provides about $1,640 monthly after taxes for 24 months. Payments begin the month after the recipient's 18th birthday.
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The United States has the most active basic income programs in the world, according to Stanford Basic Income Lab.
In fact, 16 states and Washington, DC are running active basic income pilots.
There are also other money transfer programs that aren't necessarily basic income. For example, the Alaska Permanent Fund is a state program that pays residents annual dividends based on the state's oil revenues. While it's not a basic income program, economists told Business Insider that it provides many of the same benefits.
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While 13 countries have active basic income programs, others around the globe have implemented programs in the past.
Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Spain, and Uganda have all piloted programs, according to the Stanford Basic Income Lab.
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