Poverty line nearly 4 times the minimum wage in June
According to a June 2024 report by the Research Center of the DİSK United Metalworkers Union (BİSAM), the hunger and poverty thresholds for a family of four in Turkey have surpassed 19,000 liras and 65,000 liras, respectively. For a single person, the poverty line stands at over 30,000 liras (1 US dollar = 33.04 Turkish liras).
To maintain a healthy diet, a family of four needs to spend 19,044 liras monthly on food alone, termed as 'starvation line' by BİSAM. When additional costs for education, health, housing, and other necessities are included, this figure rises to 65,874 liras. For a single-person household, the minimum required expenditure is at least 30,604 liras.
Turkey’s minimum wage is 17,000 liras and the lowest retirement pension is 10,000 liras, with nearly half of all workers and retirees receiving these amounts.
Findings
- BİSAM's calculations, based on data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), İstanbul Public Bread (İHE), chain market current month internet prices, and the BİSAM Nutrition Template, estimate that a family of four needs 19,044 liras per month for a healthy and balanced diet as of June 2024.
- The report emphasizes that this amount represents the minimum expenditure required for food. The poverty threshold, considering household consumption expenditures, amounts to 65,874 liras.
- The report highlights that the caloric needs for each family member differ. An adult male requires 5,330 liras worth of food per month for a healthy diet. For an adult woman, this figure is 5,056 liras, for a teenager (15-18 years old) it is 5,336 liras, and for a child (4-6 years old) it is 3,323 liras. The total cost for healthy eating for a family of four is calculated to be 19,045 liras.
- Including expenses such as education, health, housing, entertainment, heating, and transportation, a family of four needs to spend a total of 65,874 liras per month.
- For a single person, the total cost of maintaining a healthy diet and covering living expenses is at least 30,604 liras.
(EMK/VK)