The poverty rate in Turkey decreased in 2023.

According to the poverty line determined by considering 50% of the equivalent household disposable median income in Turkey, the poverty rate decreased by 0.9 points to 13.5% in 2023.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) made a correction regarding the poverty and living conditions statistics for 2023, published in January 2024. According to the poverty line determined by considering 50% of the equivalent household disposable median income, the poverty rate decreased by 0.9 points to 13.5% in 2023. The poverty rate calculated based on 60% of the median income decreased by 0.3 points to 21.3% over the last year. According to the poverty line determined by considering 40% of the equivalent household disposable median income, the poverty rate was 7%, showing a decrease of 0.6 points compared to the previous year. The poverty rate calculated based on 70% of the median income was 29%, reflecting a decrease of 0.3 points compared to the previous year.

THE LOWEST POVERTY RATE IS IN HOUSEHOLDS WITHOUT FAMILY CONNECTIONS

When looking at the poverty rates calculated based on 50% of the equivalent household disposable median income by household type; in households consisting of multiple individuals without a nuclear family, the poverty rate decreased by 4 points to 7.7% compared to the previous year, while in single-person households, it decreased by 0.2 points to 7.3%. The poverty rate for households consisting of at least one nuclear family and other individuals decreased by 2.6 points to 17%, while the poverty rate for households consisting of a single nuclear family decreased by 0.6 points to 13.3%.

AS EDUCATION INCREASED, POVERTY DECREASED

According to the poverty rate calculated based on 50% of the equivalent household disposable median income; 25.4% of illiterate individuals, 23.6% of those who did not complete a school, 13.6% of those with less than high school education, and 7.2% of high school graduates were calculated as poor. University graduates had the lowest poverty rate at 2.7%.

THE RATE OF CONTINUOUS POVERTY INCREASED

The rate of material and social deprivation, which expresses the inability to sufficiently meet basic needs such as nutrition, clothing, housing, and social activities required for daily life; was 16.6% in 2022, while the 2023 survey results showed a decrease of 2.2 points to 14.4%. The continuous poverty rate calculated using 4 years of panel data includes individuals who were poor in the last year and at least 2 of the previous 3 years, based on 60% of the equivalent household disposable median income. Accordingly, according to the 2023 survey results, the continuous poverty rate decreased by 1 point to 13% compared to the previous year.

30.7% OF INDIVIDUALS ARE AT RISK OF POVERTY

Those at risk of poverty or social exclusion are defined as individuals lacking at least one of the indicators of relative poverty, material and social deprivation, and low work intensity. According to the results of the last year, 30.7% of individuals remained at risk of poverty or social exclusion. When examined by age groups; it was estimated that 40.1% in the 0-17 age group, 28% in the 18-64 age group, and 23.1% in the 65 and older age group were at risk.

THE RATE OF HOMEOWNERSHIP DECREASED

The proportion of those who own their residence decreased by 0.5 points compared to the previous year, calculated at 56.2% in 2023, while the proportion of those renting was 27.8%, those living in institutional housing was 0.9%, and those not living in their own residence but not paying rent was 15.1%. Among the non-institutional population, 32.6% experienced heating problems due to isolation in their homes, while 32% faced issues such as leaking roofs, damp walls, rotten window frames, and similar problems, and 19.8% encountered air pollution, environmental pollution, or other environmental issues caused by traffic or industry.

THE RATE OF THOSE WITH INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS DECREASED

Compared to the previous year, the proportion of those with debts or installment payments, excluding housing purchases and housing expenses, decreased by 1.4 points to 58%. While these payments did not burden 5.7% of the population, they were a heavy burden for 14.9%. The proportion of households for which housing expenses were a heavy burden increased by 0.3 points to 17.5%, while the proportion of households for which these expenses were somewhat burdensome increased by 8.8 points to 66.5%. The proportion of households stating that housing expenses did not burden them decreased by 9.2 points compared to the previous year, calculated at 15.9%. 58.8% of households reported that they could not afford the costs of a one-week vacation away from home, 39.2% could not afford meals containing meat, chicken, or fish every two days, 31.8% could not afford unexpected expenses, 19.5% could not afford heating needs, and 64.2% could not economically renew old furniture.