KTAMS: Poverty Threshold Rises To 214,742 TL, Hunger Line At 39,813 TL

In a written statement, KTAMS said the calculations were based on the Ministry of Health’s nutritional standards and price averages provided by the Statistics Institute.

According to the union’s data, the monthly minimum food requirements for a family of four amount to 39,813 TL, which defines the hunger line. The breakdown includes daily and monthly nutritional costs for an adult woman, an adult man, a teenager aged 15–19, and a child aged 4–6.

KTAMS stated that inflation and rising living costs have significantly increased household expenses, pushing the poverty threshold to 214,742 TL when housing, fuel, electricity, communication, clothing, health, education and other essential expenses are included.

The union also noted that official inflation for March 2026 stood at 2.18%, while cumulative inflation for January–March reached 7.07%. It argued that the current consumer price index base year (2015=100) no longer reflects real consumption patterns.

KTAMS criticised government policies, claiming that while authorities speak of austerity, repeated fuel price increases and rising living costs are deepening poverty. It argued that current economic conditions are leaving minimum-wage households in poverty and making a dignified standard of living increasingly unattainable.