According to data released by the United Metalworkers’ Union (BİSAM), an affiliate of the Revolutionary Workers’ Confederation (DİSK), Turkey’s poverty line has risen to 55,691 lira ($1,735), with millions of people in the country struggling to survive on the minimum wage of 17,002 lira ($529).
The poverty line is the total amount of money a family of four needs to survive without suffering shortages in food, rent, utilities, and other expenses.
The amount of money a family of four needs to maintain a healthy and balanced diet – known as the hunger line – also increased in February, reaching 16,100 lira ($501), BİSAM reported on Friday. The organization determines the poverty line based on a range of factors, including education, health, housing, entertainment, heating and transportation, which represent the expenses a family needs to avoid poverty.
Rising costs and a widening gap between income and expenditure have pushed millions of Turkish families into poverty. Minimum wage workers are barely making ends meet and the middle class is struggling. The situation is particularly severe for single-income households and individuals living alone, for whom the poverty line exceeds 25,000 Turkish lira ($800).
Inflation is a pressing issue in Turkey, with the rate hitting an annualized 67.1 percent in February, according to official data.
Over the past few years, Turkey has been plagued by a worsening economy, high inflation, high unemployment and a poor human rights record. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused of mismanaging the economy, emptying the state treasury, establishing an authoritarian regime and suppressing dissent, jailing opponents on politically motivated charges.
Love it? Support Turkish Minute on Patreon!
