Northern Cyprus poverty and hunger thresholds rise sharply

Union leaders in the Turkish‑Cypriot community announced that, as of 31 May 2026, a four‑person family in Northern Cyprus needs a monthly income of 237,051 TRL to avoid poverty and 43,949 TRL just for basic food needs. The figures were calculated using the Health Ministry’s balanced diet standards and price data from the Statistical Institute. Daily food costs were detailed: a woman 380.74 TRL, a man 397.70 TRL, a 15‑19‑year‑old child 416.81 TRL, and a 4‑6‑year‑old child 269.72 TRL. Compared with April, the hunger line rose by 1,396 TRL and the poverty line by 7,529 TRL. Bengihan criticised the government’s economic policies, saying they deepened poverty and that the CPI basket (based on 2015 data) no longer reflects current living costs. Official inflation was reported at 2.06 % for May, while the overall cost‑of‑living index rose 14.33 % over January‑May 2026.