The poverty line in Turkey is 33,948 Turkish lira ($1,723) according to the United Metal Workers Union Class Research Center’s (BISAM) April 2023 report.
According to the study, the hunger threshold for an average family of four is at 9,814 Turkish lira ($489,22). Basic food items such as dairy products, fish and meat were found to be very expensive and inaccessible to many families.
The official annual inflation rate reached 85 percent last year. Independent economists believe the real rate could have been twice as high.
Over the past several years Turkey has been suffering from a deteriorating economy, with high inflation and unemployment as well as a poor human rights record. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized for mishandling the economy, emptying the state’s coffers and establishing one-man rule in the country where dissent is suppressed and opponents are jailed on politically motivated charges.
A staggeringly high cost of living has become the new normal in Turkey, where recent increases in food and utility prices are pushing up inflation, further crippling the purchasing power of citizens.
An increasing number of Turks have complained on social media about rising electricity bills and falling into debt. Many have said even basic foods such as vegetables have become a luxury as prices have risen by nearly 400 percent.
