Food inflation reaches 86.2% for Turkey's poorest group: Union report

Duvar English

The Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions Research Center (DİSK-AR) on Dec. 3 stated that the government should have released the “perceived inflation” figures, noting that food inflation was higher among low-income groups.

In a statement regarding the official inflation figures announced by Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) for November, the DİSK-AR underscored that the official food inflation rate of 48.57% was experienced dramatically differently across various segments of society.

According to calculations made by DİSK-AR using TÜİK data, food inflation for retirees reached 67%. 

DİSK-AR uses 20 percent segments to divide the whole population. For the third income group (middle income), food inflation stood at 54.2%. In contrast, food inflation was significantly higher for lower-income groups: 67.8% for the second-lowest income group and 86.2% for the poorest.

"Looking at the past year’s data, there is a significant difference between the average official inflation and the inflation experienced by the poorest segment," the union stated.

Food inflation for the fourth (high) income group was 47.3%, while the highest income group experienced a food inflation rate of 34.1%. As a result, food inflation was 86.2% for the poorest income group, compared to just 34% for the wealthiest. 

"This shows that inflation is felt significantly differently across income groups, social segments, and classes," the statement said.

The union stated, "International organizations, such as the central banks of Europe, the U.S., Germany, and Japan, regularly publish perceived and expected consumer inflation. However, despite conducting a monthly Consumer Trends Survey, TÜİK does not release the resulting 'perceived inflation' data."

The union said that since TÜİK has not published the item price list since June 2022, the exact average prices of products and services are unknown. It also pointed out that TÜİK has refused to implement a judicial ruling, despite the union’s legal victory in a case they initiated and won.

"The institutions of the Republic of Turkey cannot act arbitrarily. TÜİK’s administrators are required by the Constitution and laws to implement court rulings without delay," the union stated.

Turkey's official statistics institution on Dec. 3 reported a monthly inflation rate of 2.24 percent in November, with the annual inflation rate dropping to 47.09 percent.