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Türkiye records the highest poverty risk rate among 29 European Union member and observer countries, with 22.2% of its population—roughly 18.67 million people—living near or below the poverty line, according to recent Eurostat data.
This figure places Türkiye above all European countries in terms of poverty risk, as the E.U. average stands at 16.2%—corresponding to approximately 72.1 million people, according to the European Statistical Office’s latest data.
Türkiye’s top ranking in this report comes after years of economic strain driven by persistent inflation and high living costs.
Following Türkiye, the highest poverty risk rates are recorded in several Balkan and Baltic countries, with the top five including Bulgaria (21.7%), Latvia (21.6%), Lithuania (21.5%), and Croatia (20.3%).
In contrast, countries such as Czechia (9.5%), Belgium (11.5%), and Denmark (11.6%) reported the lowest poverty risk levels in Europe.
In its 2025 forecast, Eurostat expects the E.U.’s overall poverty risk rate to edge down slightly to 16.1%.
Young people in Türkiye are also particularly affected, with an estimated 2.87 million individuals aged 15 to 24—representing 24.6% of that age group—facing economic hardship, making up 15.4% of all people at risk in the country. This rate is the highest in Luxembourg at 32.7%, while the E.U. average stands at 21.4%.
Gender disparity in poverty risk also remains significant across Europe, as the rate for women in the E.U. was 16.9%, compared to 15.5% for men. The gap is even more pronounced in Türkiye, where 23.3% of women were at risk of poverty—the third highest rate in Europe, following Latvia and Lithuania, both at 23.6%.
When examined across genders, Türkiye reported the highest poverty risk for men, with 21.1%, well above the E.U. male average.
Since 2019, Türkiye has seen continuous double-digit annual inflation, peaking at 85.5% in October 2022. Though the rate dropped from 75.5% in May 2024 to 35.4% in May 2025, the decline has yet to ease the financial pressure on households.
According to the Turkish Confederation of Labor Unions (TURK-IS), the poverty threshold for a family of four in May 2025 was ₺81,734 (equivalent to $2,049 as of June 27), while the basic monthly food cost—known as the hunger threshold—was ₺25,092. A single worker needed ₺32,463 per month to cover essential expenses.
In Istanbul, the most populous city in Europe, the cost of living for a four-person household averaged ₺91,722 ($2,299) in May 2025, based on data from the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA).
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