13-04-2025
10m Saudis Get Monthly State Aid
Nearly 10 million Saudis have received monthly cash assistance under a state programme aimed to ease economic burdens on low-income brackets, according to official figures.
The aid is provided under the Citizen's Account Programme, introduced in 2017 to help Saudi citizens affected by the initiation of energy price adjustments that drove prices up.
Saudis constitute around 20 million of the country's total population of 35.3 million, according to recent statistics.
The programme has deposited more than SR3 billion allocated for April support, the Saudi news agency SPA has reported.
The number of beneficiaries, who met the eligibility criteria, have reached 9.8 million, SPA quoted Abdullah Al Hajri, the head of communications for the programme, as saying.
'The total amount paid by the programme to beneficiaries since its launch is 238 billion riyals,' the official added. The average support per family amounts to SR1,474.
Al Hajri said the number of household heads benefiting from the programme in the latest installment of the assistance surpassed 2 million while the number of dependants exceeded 7.4 million beneficiaries.
The Saudi government has pledged to protect low-and middle-income earners from any hikes in energy prices through the programme grounded on the idea of offering support in the form of financial compensation instead of subsidising basic items.
