Turkey’s hunger threshold for the month of April increased to TL 34,200 ($889), extending its lead over the minimum wage of TL 22,104 ($574), the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing a report released by the Office Workers Union Research Center (BES-AR).
The labor union’s report also put the poverty line for a family of four at TL 83,430 ($2,169), which means an increase of approximately TL 20,000 ($520) compared to the same month of 2024.
The hunger threshold is defined as the amount of money that a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara needs to spend for healthy and balanced nourishment, while the poverty line adds other expenses such as clothing, housing (rent and utilities), transportation, education and healthcare.
The current minimum wage was announced in January by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. However, this figure fell below the hunger threshold and is now almost one quarter of the poverty line.
Turkey is known for its relatively high percentage of the workforce making the minimum wage. Labor unions estimated that roughly half of all workers earn a wage similar to the minimum wage.
The country also has a sizable informal sector, with many people working jobs unofficially.