Kuwait’s food subsidy spending shoots up to 181.63 million dinars in first half of 2025
. . . as the number of beneficiaries reached about 2.299 million by the end of March 2025, compared to 2.221 million last year, an increase of 78,320 people or 3.5 percent
According to the data provided by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Kuwait’s food subsidy expenditures for eligible beneficiaries increased by 0.75 percent, or roughly 1.3 million dinars, during the first half of 2025; with the total spending touching 181.63 million dinars, up from 180.32 million dinars during the same period last year.
Support for construction materials accounted for the largest portion of overall expenditure, making up 52.4 percent of total subsidized supplies.
This represents 95.25 million dinars, although it reflects a 10.5 percent decline compared to 106.44 million dinars spent during the same period last year; followed by food subsidies comprising 42.7 percent of total expenditure at 77.597 million dinars, marking a 16.7 percent increase from 66.477 million dinars.
Notably, spending on milk and baby food rose 18.6 percent to 8.77 million dinars, compared to 7.398 million dinars in the previous year.
The monthly trends indicate that food-related expenditures peaked in March, reaching 35.5 million dinars, up from 32 million in January, while April saw the lowest spending at 25.1 million dinars.
Regarding construction materials, the Supply Department processed approximately 4,542 requests during the first half of the year. This included 3,622 first-time disbursement requests, 190 renewals, and 37 exchanges of support materials. The cumulative number of ration cards rose to 272,130 by the end of June 2025, up from 266,050 last year, a 2.2 percent increase.
The number of beneficiaries also grew, reaching about 2.299 million individuals by the end of March 2025, compared to 2.221 million last year, an increase of 78,320 people or 3.5 percent.
The Ministry of Commerce also undertook significant card and data updates in the first half of the year, issuing 3,463,000 new cards, renewing 2,697,000, and deleting 235 cards.
Additionally, 66,184,000 individuals were added to benefit from the service, while 20,223,000 were removed, and 2,326,000 data update transactions were carried out.
The beneficiary transactions in the first quarter totaled 39,190 additions, updates, and deletions, compared to 54,760 in the same period last year. Monthly figures included 594 new cards, 513 renewals, and 45 deletions in January; 704 new cards, 415 renewals, and 49 deletions in February; and 517 new cards, 349 renewals, and 34 deletions in March.
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