1 EXHIBIT 23 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT The Board of Directors Citizens, Inc.: We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form S-3 of Citizens, Inc. of our report dated March 18, 1999, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Citizens, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1998 and 1997, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity and comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1998, and all related schedules, which report appears in the December 31, 1998 annual report on Form 10-K of Citizens, Inc. KPMG LLP Dallas, Texas March 18, 1999