United Public Employees Confederation (Birleşik Kamu-İş) Inflation Report: People’s Inflation Unabated, Food Prices Surge by 3.7% in October

ANKARA – The Birleşik Kamu-İş Confederation released a striking report based on a market basket of essential food items, revealing that real inflation in Turkey is relentless and purchasing power continues to erode. The report indicates that the rise in food prices in October 2025 drastically contrasts with official inflation figures, staying at significantly high rates.

Critical Figures: 39.2% Increase in Ten Months

According to Birleşik Kamu-İş’s calculations, food prices in October 2025 increased by 3.7% compared to the previous month, placing severe pressure on the budgets of low- and fixed-income earners.

The cumulative increase in food prices for the first 10 months of the year (January-October 2025) reached a staggering 39.2%. This figure highlights that anti-inflation policies have yet to translate into relief for households as the year enters its final quarter.

Annual Food Inflation Exceeds 57%

The report also detailed the year-on-year (October 2024 – October 2025) increase in the popular food basket, which surged by 57.1%.

Furthermore, the average food prices over the last 12 months increased by 57.3% compared to the preceding 12-month average. These statistics reinforce criticisms that wage increases for public employees and retirees are falling far short of the genuine cost of living.

Birleşik Kamu-İş utilized this report to once again expose the growing gap between official government inflation data and the reality of purchasing power faced by the populace, urgently calling for measures to protect low-income groups.