The subsidies in the DR passed from RD$3,717 million per quarter in 2020 to RD$12,147 million in the second quarter of 2025, according to data from the Administradora de Subsidios Sociales (ADESS). This 226% jump in spending now benefits 3.6 million people, 1.3 million more than five years ago.
Expansion of key programs
The transition of Progresando con Solidaridad (PROSOLI) to Supérate in 2021 drove this growth. New components like Supérate Mujer, Fondo Discapacidad, Bono Madre, and Agricultura Familiar Valle Nuevo expanded coverage. However, the pillars concentrate the largest investment:
- Aliméntate (formerly Comer es Primero): from 852,622 to 1,489,960 households, a 70% increase.
- BonoGas Hogar: from 917,522 to 1,312,230 households, a 43% increase.
- BonoLuz: from 437,821 to 545,992 households, a 24.7% increase.
Aliméntate captured 60.23% of the total in 2025, with RD$7,316 million in three months.
Subsidies in the DR under scrutiny for effectiveness
Criticism and historical context
In 2020, pre-pandemia, the subsidies in the DR covered 2.3 million people. The growth of the roll coincided with stability in poverty rates, despite economic progress. Leidy Blanco, coordinator of Participación Ciudadana, questions whether this expansion really reduces poverty. “It doesn’t make sense how such large increases in beneficiaries are given”, she notes, warning about the lack of verification.
Risks of expansion without control
Blanco emphasizes: “Not perpetuating poverty, but generating own capacities”. Recent proposals seek to condition subsidies in the DR to labor training, generating debate. The challenge lies in balancing immediate coverage with sustainable exit from dependence.
