Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) in Turkey
Turkey: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) was 19.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Turkey, 1987–2023
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 19.6% for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 7.5% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Turkey peaked at 29.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 19.6%, in 2023.
That places Turkey 68th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 28.5% | — |
| 1994 | 29.0% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 28.3% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 28.6% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 27.9% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 26.6% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 26.0% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 24.6% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 23.9% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 24.2% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 22.5% | -7.0% |
| 2011 | 22.4% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 21.9% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 22.4% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 21.8% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 22.0% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 22.8% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 22.3% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 22.3% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 22.6% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 21.2% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 19.6% | -7.5% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 19.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.9%, 90% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 19.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 13.3%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 28.5% | 28.5% | 28.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 23.9% | 28.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 21.8% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 19.6% | 22.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More poverty & inequality data for Turkey
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,429 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -6.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 23.22 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 23.2% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Turkey?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Turkey was 19.6% in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1994.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.6% in 2023.
- How does Turkey rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Turkey ranks 68th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.