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Turkey social assistance and poverty trends

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-16 22:06 UTC → 2026-09-10 22:31 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In Turkey, discussions regarding social assistance have centered on both rising poverty indicators and adjustments to specific welfare payments. Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer has reported an increase in citizens relying on social assistance, citing Ministry of Family and Social Services data. Gürer noted that soup kitchen aid recipients rose from 34,911 in 2014 to 75,589 in 2025, an 87% increase over the decade. He also highlighted a 10.1% annual increase in households receiving housing aid between 2024 and 2025, stating these figures are an “indicator of expanding poverty.” Concurrently, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has announced increases to several support programs. Home Care Assistance for fully dependent citizens and their families rose from 13,878 TL to 15,775 TL per month following adjustments to civil servant salary coefficients. The ministry reported distributing 7.5 billion TL for the current month, noting that 48.6 billion TL has been provided through this specific model since the start of 2026. Furthermore, the ministry has implemented updated monthly payments for the Social and Economic Support (SED) program. Under this adjusted scheme, support for children is determined by education levels, with monthly payments ranging from approximately 5,986 TL to 13,470 TL for those in higher education. In August, the ministry distributed over 2.1 billion TL in SED payments. For the second half of 2026, the ministry updated several programs. Birth assistance for children born after January 1, 2025, includes a one-time 5,000 TL payment for the first child, with subsequent children receiving monthly payments of 1,500 TL or 5,000 TL. Average monthly SED payments for families at risk of losing children due to economic hardship have risen to 11,038 TL, while elderly pensions for citizens over 65 without social security are set at 7,257 TL.

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