TUIK releases official figures: 12 million impoverished in Turkey

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) has released the “Poverty and Living Conditions Statistics” for the year 2022. According to the report, the poorest region was Adana-Mersin, which has experienced high levels of immigration. One in three people reported having heating problems, while 41% of the population said they could not afford to have a meal containing meat or chicken every other day.

According to the poverty line set at 50% of the household's disposable income, the poverty rate was 14.4% in 2022. The poverty rate calculated based on the poverty line set at 60% of the median income increased by 0.3 points to 21.6%. Based on the poverty line set at 40% of the equivalent household's disposable income, the poverty rate decreased by 0.9 points to 7.6% compared to the previous year. The poverty rate calculated based on the poverty line set at 70% of the median income increased by 0.6 points to 29.3% compared to the previous year.

AS THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN A HOUSEHOLD INCREASES, SO TOO DOES POVERTY

Looking at the poverty rates calculated based on the household type and the poverty line set at 50% of the equivalent household's disposable income: the poverty rate for single-person households increased by 1 point to 7.5% compared to the previous year, while households with more than one person and no nuclear family increased by 2.6 points to 11.7%. The poverty rate of households with at least one nuclear family and other individuals increased by 1.1 points to 19.6%, while the poverty rate of households with a single nuclear family decreased by 0.3 points to 13.9%.

27% OF ILLITERATE INDIVIDUALS ARE POOR

According to the poverty rate calculated based on equivalent household disposable income per capita at the median level, 27.7% of illiterate individuals, 24.4% of those who have not completed primary education, 13.8% of those who have completed primary education but not high school, and 7.8% of high school graduates and equivalents were found to be poor. University graduates had the lowest poverty rate with 2.6%.

THE RATE OF MATERIAL AND SOCIAL DEPRIVATION IS 16 PERCENT

The variables queried at the household level in calculating the material and social deprivation rate include car ownership, ability to make unexpected economic expenditures, ability to cover the cost of a week-long vacation away from home, ability to pay rent, mortgage, and interest-bearing debts, ability to eat meals containing meat, chicken, or fish every other day, ability to meet heating needs of the home, and ability to replace worn-out furniture with new ones. The ownership of washing machines, color televisions, and phones, which were included in the definition of material deprivation in previous years, was removed from the new definition. The new variables added at the individual level for this rate are the ability to buy new clothes instead of worn-out ones, owning at least two pairs of decent shoes, being able to socialize with acquaintances at least once a month, being able to participate in paid leisure activities, being able to spend some money to feel good, and owning internet for personal use.

The material and social deprivation rate, defined as the percentage of those who cannot meet at least seven of the thirteen items mentioned above, was estimated to be 16.6% in the 2022 survey results, decreasing by 1.5 percentage points from 18.1% in 2021.

THE RATE OF PERMANENT POVERTY IS 14 PERCENT

The rate of persistent poverty, calculated using four-year panel data, includes individuals who have been poor in the last year and at least two of the previous three years, based on the median income of equivalent household disposable income. Accordingly, according to the 2022 survey results, the rate of persistent poverty increased by 0.2 points compared to the previous year and became 14.0%.

THE POOREST REGION IS ADANA-MERSIN, WHICH IS ALSO A HUB FOR IMMIGRATION

According to the poverty line, the regions with the highest income-based relative poverty rates are Adana and Mersin at 15%, Agri, Kars, Igdir, and Ardahan at 14.6%, and Izmir at 14.3%. The regions with the lowest relative poverty rates are Antep, Adiyaman, Kilis at 3.7%, Malatya, Elazig, Bingol, Tunceli at 6.3%, and Erzurum, Erzincan, Bayburt at 7.5%.

According to the 2022 results, 32.6% of individuals were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. When examined by age group, this rate was estimated to be 42.7% for the 0-17 age group, 30.2% for the 18-64 age group, and 20.5% for the 65+ age group.

THE PERCENTAGE OF HOMEOWNERS DECREASED

The proportion of those who own the place they live in decreased by 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous year and was calculated as 56.7% in 2022, while the proportion of those who rent was 27.2%, those who live in company housing was 1.1%, and those who do not own a home and do not pay rent was 15.1%.

ONE IN THREE PEOPLE EXPERIENCE HEATING PROBLEMS

While 33.6% of the non-institutional population experiences heating problems due to insulation in their homes, leaky roofs, damp walls, rotted window frames, and similar issues, 21.7% of this group experienced environmental problems such as air pollution, environmental pollution, or other environmental issues caused by traffic or industry.

40% OF HOUSEHOLDS CANNOT AFFORD MEAT EXPENSES

Compared to last year, the proportion of those with debt or installment payments other than home purchase and housing expenses decreased by 4.3 percentage points to 59.4 percent. While 6.2 percent of the population was not burdened by these payments, 17.7 percent of them were burdened heavily. 59.6 percent of households stated that they could not afford a one-week vacation away from home, 41.5 percent said they could not afford to have a meal containing meat, chicken, or fish every two days, 31.1 percent could not afford unexpected expenses, 20.4 percent could not afford to meet the heating needs of their home, and 65.4 percent stated that they could not afford to renew worn-out furniture.