Is a country-wide universal basic income program possible?
Defining what a basic income trial/pilot is and exploring recent examples (part 2)
A basic income trial (or pilot) is a controlled social experiment where a specific group receives regular, unconditional cash payments for a set period.
Governments and researchers use these to measure how guaranteed security affects factors like mental health, employment, and community spending before deciding on permanent policies.1
For part 1, we focused on four examples of basic income trials in the U.S.
For part 2, we’ll cover four international examples of basic income trails in Kenya, Finland, South Korea, and the Marshall Islands.
Example #1: Kenya (2017 - Present)
In one of the largest and longest-running UBI trials in the world, a New York-based and non-governmental organization called GiveDirectly has distributed millions of dollars (no strings attached) to approximately 23,000 individuals across 195 villages since 2017. The study includes four transfer sizes:
Long-term UBI: $22.50/month for 12 years
Short-term UBI: $22.50/month for 2 years
Large lump-sum: one-off $500 payment (comparison group)
Control: no transfers2
The research is still ongoing, but participants have already began to sharing their stories on how direct cash to meet their short-term needs has positively impacted their long-term plans:
GiveDirectly has expanded their basic income programs to 5 more countries in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Uganda). They also run a U.S.-based guaranteed income program that has delivered more than $332 million for over 477,000 low-income Americans.3
Example #2: Finland (2017 - 2018)
In Europe’s first national, government-backed basic income trial, Finland paid 2,000 unemployed citizens a regular monthly income of €560 (about $634; £490) from January 2017 to December 2018. While the study findings showed no radical change in employment rates, there was a significant boost in mental well-being, confidence, and life satisfaction among the participants.4
“Some people said the basic income had zero effect on their productivity, as there were still no jobs in the area they were trained for. But others said that with the basic income they were prepared to take low-paying jobs they would otherwise have avoided.
Some said the basic income allowed them to go back to the life they had before they became unemployed, while others said it gave them the power to say no to low-paid insecure jobs, and thus increased their sense of autonomy.”
-Professor Helena Blomberg-Kroll5
Example #3: South Korea
Sarath Davala, Chairman of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), named South Korea as a “hot spot” for basic income advocacy following the launch of a new book documenting 22+ years of Korean basic income research and the recent election of a pro-UBI president.6
“Basic income is the most effective core policy to save the people, save the country, and save the market economy in a future society where jobs are disappearing and polarization is severe.”
-Lee Jae Myung, President of South Korea7
In 2018, then-Governor Lee Jae Myung led a youth basic income program in the Gyeonggi Province that provided 1 million won (about $663) annually in local currency to 175,000 24-year-olds. The goal was to provide youth the opportunity to learn how they can contribute to their local community, so the only “string attached” was that the money must be spent at locally-owned businesses. As a result, small- and medium-size businesses in the area had a surge in sales.8
Based on a satisfaction survey released by the Gyeonggi Research Institute, 80.6% of the respondents were satisfied with:
the focus on youths aged 24 as recipients (35.2%),
the payouts being in Gyeonggi regional currency (31.6%), and
no employment conditions for recipients (11.3%).
On the contrary, dissatisfied respondents disliked that:
only youth specifically aged 24 were eligible recipients (33.3%),
the Gyeonggi regional currency was unusable in stores like supermarkets, department stores, and entertainment stores (11.7%), and
the quarterly frequency of the payouts, plus the requirement to complete an application each time (11.7%).9
You can learn more about the youth basic income program here:
Other examples of basic income trials include pilots focused on addressing challenges such as aging society, declining rural populations, and job automation in South Korea, which is consistently ranked as the world’s most automated country.10
In 2024, the Gyeonggi Province also launched the “Farmer and Fisher Opportunity Income” program to improve the quality of life and promote rural sustainability. The program provided 150,000 won (about $99) monthly to youth farmers and eco-farmers as well as 50,000 won (about $33) monthly to regular farmers and fishers. Participation expanded from about 9,400 recipients across nine cities/counties in 2024 to about 192,000 recipients in 2025. Critics have expressed concerns over the local fiscal burden and point to five cities in the Gyeonggi Province opting out of participating as a sign of skepticism about the program’s purpose.11
In December 2025, Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province, a small farming town once facing population decline, saw a large increase of new residents since the implementation of a “rural basic income.” The national policy experiment aims to reverse depopulation in aging rural towns by providing residents of 10 selected pilot regions (including Okcheon) with 150,000 won ($102) per month (in local vouchers). The program itself will run from 2026 to 2027.12
The results of these studies are not out yet due to its recency, but we have the book documenting 22+ years of Korean basic income research to look forward to.
Example #4: Marshall Islands
Believe it or not, a country has already launched the world’s first national universal basic income program: the Marshall Islands.
Through direct deposit, by check, or via Stablecoin (a type of cryptocurrency), all resident citizens of the Marshall Islands will receive $200 per quarter. The goal of the program is to provide “a ‘social safety net’ as the country faces rising costs and citizens leaving.”13
In November 2025, the first quarterly payment arrived in the pockets of 33,000 Marshallese. By the second quarterly payment, it may reach nearly 40,000 people, with no-strings-attached.
"According to the last census, 46% were worried about where they would get their next meal, so that shows you the level of poverty people endure.
For a family of five, it's $1,000 a quarter, so it provides a level of economic security.”
- David Paul, Marshall Islands Finance Minister14
You can read more about the Marshall Islands’ quiet implementation of the first national universal basic income here:
Basic income trials and the politics of scale: A research agenda (Policy Studies Journal)
A basic income guarantees monthly payments for communities to meet their needs (GiveDirectly)
Giving cash is a direct, dignified, and proven way to reduce poverty (GiveDirectly)
Finland basic income trial improved wellbeing, study fines (The Guardian)
Why South Korea became a ‘hot spot’ for basic income (Basic Income Earth Network)
Being paid to stay: Inside Korea’s rural basic income trial (The Korea Herald)
Is Universal Basic Income the Key to Happiness in Asia? (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
Korea: Gyeonggi’s youth basic income report released (Basic Income Earth Network)
Global Robot Density in Factories Doubled in Seven Years (International Federation of Robotics)
Five Cities Skip Gyeonggi Farmer Income Program, Sparking Equity Concerns (Seoul Economic Daily)
South Korea’s UBI President is a Green Light for the Rest of Us (UBI Works Canada)
Marshall Islands launches world’s first universal basic income scheme offering cryptocurrency (The Guardian)
Marshall Islands launches first universal basic income scheme to stop outward migration (Australian Broadcasting Corporation News & Headlines)