What are the benefits of separating layout from program code in PHP development?

Separating layout from program code in PHP development helps improve code organization, readability, and maintainability. It allows developers to focus on the logic of the program without getting distracted by HTML/CSS details. Additionally, separating layout enables easier collaboration between front-end and back-end developers, as they can work on their respective parts independently.

```php
// Example of separating layout from program code in PHP

// Program logic
$data = ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30];
// Load the view template
include 'templates/user_profile.php';
```
In the above code snippet, the program logic is separated from the view template 'user_profile.php', which contains the HTML/CSS layout. This separation makes the code easier to maintain and understand.