Grim picture for minimum wage: Turkey ranks first in Europe

Turkey has taken the top spot in Europe for the number of minimum wage earners. There are 11.2 million people working for minimum wage in the country, a figure that is higher than the total of nearly 20 EU countries. 

According to Eurostat data, the number of minimum wage earners in Turkey has surpassed countries like France and Germany, placing it at the top in Europe.

TURKEY HAS 11.2 MILLION MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS

According to Eurostat, Turkey is home to more minimum wage earners than the total of 21 countries in Europe. While there are 12.8 million minimum wage earners in European Union countries and approximately 1.9 million in the UK, this figure is calculated at 11.2 million in Turkey. There are 3.5 million minimum wage earners in France and 3.2 million in Germany. 

According to a report by Melisa Ay from BirGün, the minimum wage has not stayed below the hunger threshold even once this year. 

According to research by Türk-İş, while the basic food expenditure required for a family of 4 to sustain their lives was calculated at 22 thousand 104 TL in January 2025, this figure will remain 27 lira above the minimum wage.

THE GAP BETWEEN THE POVERTY LINE AND THE MINIMUM WAGE

Although the minimum wage was set at 22 thousand 104 TL in January 2025, this figure covers only 30 percent of the 72 thousand 88 TL poverty line. In October, the minimum wage corresponds to a segment of 23.88 percent against the poverty line, which reached 92 thousand 547 TL.