TÜRK-İŞ Announced the September 2025 Hunger and Poverty Line Report: Starvation and Poverty Thresholds Increased to 27.970 TL and 91.109 TL, respectively!

ANKARA - The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) has shared with the public the September 2025 results of its monthly hunger and poverty line survey. The report showed that the monthly food expenditure (hunger limit) that a family of four should make in order to have a healthy, balanced and adequate diet increased to 27,970 TL, while the total income (poverty limit) that should enter the household for all basic expenditures including food reached 91,109 TL. The monthly cost of living of a single employee was calculated as 36,305 TL.

Kitchen Inflation Unabated, Poverty Line Exceeds 4 Minimum Wages

According to a survey conducted by TURK-IS, as of September 2025, "kitchen inflation" was 3.17 percent per month, while the twelve-month rate of change was 41.05 percent and the annual average increase was calculated as 40.94 percent. The rate of increase in the first nine months of the year was 32.67 percent.

One of the most striking details in the report is that the poverty line has exceeded 4 minimum wages. The gap between the income earned and the amount of expenditure required to live a minimum life consistent with human dignity and worth is widening with each passing month, aggravating the living conditions of fixed-income workers and pensioners.

Purchasing Power of Minimum Wage Workers Declined Further

The study revealed that the budget of a single minimum wage earner has seen an additional difference of 1,323 liras compared to last month. This means that as of the ninth month of the year, the difference between the cost of living of a person and the minimum wage has reached 14,201 liras. This situation reveals once again that the minimum wage is insufficient to cover even basic living costs.

Results Supported by Ankara Data

TÜRK-İŞ Confederation conducted the research based on the monthly food expenditure amount (hunger limit) that a family of four living in Ankara should make in order to have a healthy, balanced and adequate diet. According to the data obtained:

• Hunger Limit: 27.970,50 TL

• Poverty Line: 91,109.11 TL (including all compulsory expenses such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, health and similar expenses)

• Monthly Cost of Living for a Single Employee: 36,304.79 TL

TÜRK-İŞ emphasized that these figures clearly reveal the extent of the economic difficulties faced by wage earners and pensioners in Turkey and that the injustice in income distribution has deepened. The confederation called on the authorities to take urgent measures and find permanent solutions to increase the purchasing power of workers.