Shock Report from DISK-AR: Inflation in Turkey is 15 Times the EU Average! Loss of 5,621 TL for Minimum Wage Earners

The Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions Research Center (DİSK-AR) published its September 2025 inflation bulletin, comparing the severity of the cost of living in the Turkish economy with international data. According to the report, average annual inflation in Turkey is 15 times higher than the European Union (EU) average, while food inflation is 12 times higher. The 9-month loss of the minimum wage, which is the biggest victim of inflation, was calculated as 5 thousand 621 TL.

Turkey on the Inflation Cliff: Terrible Comparison with the EU

DİSK-AR's report compares TurkStat's September 2025 figures with EU averages to reveal Turkey's economic gap:

The report emphasized that Turkey has the highest average and food inflation among European countries.

Inflation Led by Education and Food

According to TURKSTAT data, the expenditure group with the highest annual inflation as of September 2025 was education with 66.10 percent. The highest monthly increase was 8.60 percent in food and non-alcoholic beverages.

DISK-AR said that the main reason for the slowdown in the annual inflation rate is the "base effect", while there is no real decline in prices. The increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by 33.7 times and food prices by 47 times since 2003 summarized the dramatic loss in purchasing power.

Minimum Wage Lost 5,621 TL in 9 Months

DISK-AR, drawing attention to the devastation of high inflation on the incomes of laborers, has quantified the victimization of millions of minimum wage earners:

"According to TurkStat, nine-month inflation was 25.43 percent. In the 9th month of the year, the loss of minimum wage against inflation was 5 thousand 621 TL."

This loss clearly showed how much the real value of the minimum wage has eroded since the beginning of 2025 and the rate of impoverishment of workers. Moreover, according to TurkStat, the 12-month average inflation rate is 39 percent, indicating the burden of the high price increases of the past period on salaries.

TUIK Administration Challenges the Judiciary: Article Price List Still Hidden

The harshest section of the DİSK-AR report criticized the management of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). The union stated that TurkStat continues its stance on data transparency by not complying with judicial decisions.

• Material Prices Hidden: TURKSTAT has been criticized for not releasing the material price list, which is the source of its inflation calculations, since June 2022. This raises doubts about the reliability of inflation rates.

• Disobedience to Judicial Decisions: Despite the final judicial ruling issued by the Ankara 6th Administrative Court as a result of the lawsuit filed by DISK, the TurkStat administration insists on not releasing the item price list. DİSK-AR described this attitude of the TÜİK management as "defying the Constitution and the courts of the Republic of Turkey" and emphasized that the managers are obliged to immediately fulfill the court decisions as required by law.

With this bulletin, DİSK-AR has once again brought to the public agenda the crushing impact of high inflation caused by the government's economic policies on laborers and low-income earners.