Two studies conducted by the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) have shed light on the deepening crisis of child poverty in the country. Accordingly, 7.03 million children aged 0-17 in Turkey are living in poverty, with 2 million of them facing “absolute poverty.”
According to official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), children under 18 account for 22.2 million of Turkey’s 85-million population, highlighting the significant scale of the issue.
The studies pointed to a sharp increase in poverty among infants (0-2 years) and children (3-14 years). In 2017, 36.8% of infants were classified as poor, but by 2022, this figure had risen to 41.4%. Similarly, the poverty rate for children grew from 40.8% in 2017 to 43.8% in 2022.
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Using income per capita to measure poverty levels, the research showed that younger age groups are disproportionately affected compared to the overall population. The poverty rate in 2022 was 41.4% for infants aged 0-2, 43.8% for children aged 3-14, 29.9% for youth aged 15-24, and 18.2% for adults aged 25 and older.
These figures reveal that infants and young children in Turkey are far more likely to live in poverty than adults, underscoring a deep inequality in resource distribution.
Another TEPAV study, led by researcher Hakan Yılmaz and based on the EUROSTAT methodology, calculated Turkey’s overall child poverty rate at 34.4% in 2023. While this rate hovered between 33% and 34% until 2020, it surpassed 34% in 2021, signaling a troubling upward trend.
The study identified 2 million children living in “absolute poverty,” a condition where even basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter cannot be met. Researchers emphasized that such extreme deprivation has a profound impact on children’s physical and psychological development, raising long-term concerns about the future of these vulnerable populations. (VK)
