BISAM Announced: Hunger Limit Exceeds 26 Thousand and Poverty Line Exceeds 91 Thousand!

ANKARA - DİSK/Birleşik Metal-İş Class Research Center (BİSAM) published the Hunger and Poverty Line Report for September 2025 on October 14, 2025, revealing the extent of the livelihood problems of households in Turkey. According to the report, the starvation threshold, which is the minimum monthly expenditure amount that a family of four should make only for a healthy and balanced diet, reached 26,418 TL, while the poverty threshold, which covers all compulsory expenses such as education, health, housing and transportation, was determined as 91,381 TL.

Food Expenditure: 881 Lira Daily Necessary for a Family

According to BISAM's calculations, a family of four needs to spend 26,418 lira per month and approximately 881 lira per day in September 2025 for a healthy and balanced diet. This is the minimum amount a family should spend on food alone.

The report also detailed the cost groups within food expenditures:

• Fruits and vegetables: was the highest cost group with a daily expenditure requirement of 258 liras. According to the narrow grouping, fruits and vegetables represented approximately 29.33 percent of total food expenditure.

• Milk and dairy products: It was the second most costly group with 225 liras per day and accounted for 25.53 percent of total expenditure.

• Meat, poultry and fish: The minimum daily expenditure was 171 liras.

• Other Basic Foods: It was calculated that 80 lira should be spent daily for bread, 46 lira for fats and oils, 17 lira for eggs, 22 lira for sugar, honey and molasses.

Nutrition Costs by Family Member

The study emphasized that each family member needs different calories and food groups for a healthy diet. While the monthly nutritional cost of an adult man is 7,400 liras, this value is calculated as 7,015 liras for an adult woman. It is stated that a young person aged 15-18 needs to spend 7,377 liras per month and a child aged 4-6 needs to spend 4,626 liras per month on compulsory food. The report also stated that a young person between the ages of 10 and 18 has a higher need for milk and dairy products than adults, while the amount of eggs that a child between the ages of 4 and 6 should consume is higher than adults.

Poverty Line for Single People 42.526 TL

In addition to the calculations for a family of four, the poverty line for an individual living alone was also determined. The total amount of all compulsory expenses of a person living alone, such as kitchen expenses and all compulsory expenses such as housing, transportation, education and health, was determined as at least 42,526 TL for the period of September 2025.

Research Methodology Updated

BISAM also provided detailed information on the methodology of the research. The hunger and poverty line is calculated based on the BISAM Nutrition Pattern, which was obtained by BISAM by revising the Ministry of Health and Hacettepe University Nutrition Pattern. Since TURKSTAT has ceased to announce item prices, the calculation takes into account TURKSTAT index figures according to expenditure groups and item prices in 2003. However, due to the difference between the market and the TURKSTAT index in vegetable-fruit and bread prices, the prices of Istanbul Halk Ekmek for bread and chain market internet prices for vegetables and fruits are taken as reference.