August 2025 Hunger and Poverty Line Report from BISAM: Minimum Cost of Living at Record High!

ANKARA - The Class Research Center (BİSAM) of the United Metal-İş Union has published the **"Hunger and Poverty Line August 2025 Period Report "**, which reveals the economic situation of households in Turkey. According to the report, the hunger limit for a family of four rose to 26,149 liras and the poverty line to 90,450 liras. These figures have once again revealed how difficult the struggle to make a living in Turkey has become.

In the report, the poverty line for a person living alone was calculated as 42,234 liras. These striking data show that the expenditures required for a minimum standard of living have reached record levels.

Detailed Analysis of Figures

The report prepared by BISAM reveals the weight of food expenditures in the family budget. The minimum food expenditure that a family of four should make for a balanced and healthy diet, i.e. the hunger limit, was determined as 26 thousand 149 liras. This amount represents the minimum expenditure required to meet basic food needs only.

The poverty line, on the other hand, shows the minimum cost of living for a family, including all compulsory expenses such as education, health, housing, heating and transportation. Accordingly, it was calculated that a family needs 90,450 liras per month to live a decent life.

The report also presented in detail the expenditure requirements of family members according to their nutritional needs:

• Monthly food cost for an adult male: 7,347 TL

• For an adult woman: 6,969 TL

• For a young person aged 15-18: 7,281 TL

• For a child aged 4-6 years: 4,553 TL

Highest Cost of Daily Expenditures: Fruit and Vegetables

When the daily food expenditures for the period of August 2025 were analyzed, it was stated that the highest cost was caused by fruits and vegetables with 272 liras. This was followed by milk and dairy products with 219 TL per day and meat, poultry and fish group with 164 TL per day. The report stated that 78 TL should be spent daily for bread and 43 TL for fats and oils.

Research Method and Scope

BISAM based its report on TURKSTAT's index figures for expenditure groups, TURKSTAT's 2003 item prices and its own "Nutrition Pattern". In addition, Istanbul Halk Ekmek was used as a reference for bread prices, and the current online prices of chain markets were used as a reference for fruit and vegetable prices. This methodology ensures that the data reflects current market conditions.

The report stated that calculations made with different revisions cannot be compared, and emphasized that these data, which are shared with the public regularly every month, are an important indicator of the economic situation of working people and society in general.