Turkish hunger threshold surpasses minimum wage in first month of 2023
Turkey's poverty threshold for a family of four rose to 28,875 liras in January, more than three times the minimum wage, data from the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) revealed. The hunger line reached 8,864 liras for the same month, surpassing the minimum wage (8,506 liras) in the first month of its hike.
Duvar English
Turkey's poverty threshold increased to 28,875 liras in January, more than three times the minimum wage (8,506 liras), data from the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) showed.
The poverty threshold indicates the money needed for a family of four to feed itself sufficiently and healthily, and it also covers the expenditures on basic necessities such as clothing, rent, electricity, water, transportation, education and health.
The hunger threshold, which indicates the minimum amount of money needed to save a four-member family from starvation a month, became 8,864 liras in January. Accordingly, the hunger threshold surpassed the minimum wage in the first month of its hike.
The minimum wage was raised by some 54.66% to 8,506 lira ($452) for 2023.
According to Türk-İş, the increase in the inflation in the kitchen expenses was 9.402 percent monthly and 108.57 percent annually.
The monthly food expenditure of an adult man is 2,670 liras whereas it is 2,142 liras for an adult woman, according to the data. The monthly food expenditure of a youth aged between 15-18 is 2,632 liras, while it is 1,420 liras for a child aged between 4-6.
For December, the government-run Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported an annual inflation rate of 64.27, whereas the independent inflation group ENAG put the figure at 137.55%.
Majority of Turkish citizens cannot make ends meet amid skyrocketing inflation.