Minimum wage stagnates, hunger threshold rises rapidly: Poverty line exceeds 60,000 TL

The DİSK/United Metal Workers' Union (BİSAM) has published its hunger and poverty report for April, prepared by taking into account data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). According to the report, the hunger threshold has surpassed the 17,002 TL minimum wage by 754 TL. 

On the other hand, the poverty line was calculated at 57,000 TL in March. In April, the poverty line was calculated at 61,418 lira.

In the expenditure groups taken as a basis in the report, the monthly amount that a family of four must spend for a healthy and balanced diet was measured at 17,756 lira for April 2024.

According to the results of the calculation based on household consumption expenditures over the hunger threshold, the poverty line was realized as 61,418 lira.

MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT ENOUGH EVEN FOR A SINGLE PERSON

The total amount that a person living alone must spend for a healthy and balanced diet, as well as for housing, transportation, education, health, etc., to maintain their life, must be at least 28,458 lira. Accordingly, the poverty line for a person living alone was determined as 28,458 lira.

DAILY EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENT IS 592 LIRA

In daily expenditures for April 2024, the highest cost group was milk and dairy products, with a requirement of 172.07 lira. The minimum expenditure amount required for the meat, chicken, and fish group was calculated as 124.81 lira.

The daily expenditure amount required for vegetables and fruits reached 155.14 lira. The expenditure amount required for bread is 40.25 lira per day. Solid and liquid fats are the product group that requires an expenditure of 31.20 lira. An expenditure of 8.98 lira is required for eggs, and 13.77 lira for sugar, honey, jam, and molasses.