Poverty and hunger in Turkey are increasing at an exponential rate. Millions of workers, retirees, and families are struggling to make ends meet.
Turkey's trade unions have calculated the hunger threshold which indicates the minimum amount of money needed to save a four-member family from starvation a month – as 3,107 liras for November.
As for the poverty threshold, it increased above the 10,000 liras-mark for the first time, reaching 8,823 liras. The poverty threshold indicates the money needed for a family of four to feed itself sufficiently and healthily, and it also covers the expenditures on basic necessities such as clothing, rent, electricity, water, transportation, education and health.
Monthly food expenses of a family four had increased by 98 liras in November compared to the previous month and by 675 liras compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, monthly living expenses for a single person total 3,902 liras, nearly 40 percent over the minimum wage.
The cost of living expenses in Turkey are expected to become even more painful in the coming months amid the local currency's sharp depreciation. It is no longer just the low-income families who suffer from the currency crash, but the middle class too.
The true extent of poverty in the country is hidden by official statistics. Millions of people living on minimum wage below the hunger and poverty line is one of the worst things that can happen to a country, and the situation is getting worse.
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