TÜRK-İŞ Announces May 2025 Hunger and Poverty Lines: Food Expenditures Exceed 25 Thousand TL, Poverty Line Surpasses 81 Thousand TL

ANKARA – The May 2025 results of the Hunger and Poverty Line research, regularly published monthly by the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ), have been announced. According to the report, the monthly food expenditure required for a four-person family to have a healthy, balanced, and adequate diet (the hunger line) has risen to 25,092 TL, while the total income that must enter a household to cover all basic expenses including food (the poverty line) has reached 81,734 TL.

According to the report shared by TÜRK-İŞ with the public on May 30, 2025, the monthly cost of living for a single employee was calculated as 32,463 TL.

Details and Data:

• Hunger Line (Four-Person Family): The minimum monthly food expenditure for a four-person family living in Ankara to maintain a healthy, balanced, and adequate diet was determined as 25,092.26 TL.
• Poverty Line (Four-Person Family): The total amount of mandatory monthly expenditures for food, clothing, housing (rent, electricity, water, fuel), transportation, education, health, and similar needs (the poverty line) increased to 81,733.73 TL.
• Cost of Living for a Single Employee: The monthly cost of living for a single employee reached 32,463.07 TL.

Minimum Wage Falls Short:

TÜRK-İŞ emphasized that the current minimum wage, which is necessary to sustain a dignified life, is insufficient to cover even a family's basic food expenses. The report stated that the monthly cost of living for a single employee in May, 32,463 TL, is 10,359 TL more than the current minimum wage. It was expressed in the report that the minimum wage falls short of being an income that can cover the basic needs of citizens and their families.

Kitchen Inflation Data (May 2025):

According to TÜRK-İŞ data, the changes in "kitchen inflation" as of May 2025 are as follows:

• The increase in the minimum food expenditure for a four-person family living in Ankara was 4.40 percent compared to the previous month.
• The twelve-month change rate was 32.28 percent.
• The annual average increase was calculated as 47.62 percent.

The research results once again revealed that poverty and financial hardship remain on the agenda, and the purchasing power of employees continues to decline day by day.