TURKSTAT has announced income and living conditions Survey 2017 data. The income information regarding the Income and Living Conditions Survey 2017 results refers to the year 2016, the previous calendar year. In the calculation of income, the equivalent household disposable income taking into account household size and composition is used to make the households comparable.

According to survey results, the share of the top quintile by the equivalised household disposable income was 47.4% recording an increase of 0.2 points whilst the share of the bottom quintile was 6.3% with an increase of 0.1 points in comparison with the previous year. The income quintile share ratio calculated as the ratio of total income received by the richest 20% of the population to that received by the poorest 20% of the population decreased from 7.7 to 7.5.

Gini coefficient was 0.405

Gini coefficient one of the measures of income inequality varies between 0, which reflects complete equality and 1, which indicates complete inequality. According to 2017 results, the Gini coefficient was estimated at 0.405 with an increase of 0.001 points compared with the previous year.

Mean annual equivalised household disposable income was 21 577 TL

In Turkiye, the mean annual equivalised household disposable income increased by 12.7% compared to the previous year from 19 thousand 139 TL to 21 thousand 577 TL.

Wages and salaries held the highest proportion with 48.9% of total income

The rate of wage and salaries got the highest rate with 48.9% of total equivalised household disposable income with a decrease of 0.8 points compared with the previous year. This was followed by social transfers with an increase of 0.1 points (19.7%) and the entrepreneurial incomes with a decrease of 0.2 points (19.6%) compared to 2016.

The share of agricultural income in the entrepreneurial income was realized as 21.4% by decreasing 3.8 points compared to 2016. Pensions and survivor’ benefits composed 91.4% of social transfers.

The relative poverty rate declined to 13.5%

The at-risk-of-poverty-rate according to poverty threshold set at 50% of median equivalised household disposable income was 13.5% with a decrease of 0.8 points in relation to 2016. As for the at-risk-of-poverty-rate according to poverty threshold set at 60% of median income, it was 20.1% with a decrease of 1.1 points in comparison with the previous year.

Considering poverty rates according to poverty threshold set at 50% of median equivalised household disposable income in terms of household types, at-risk-of-poverty-rate of single person households was 8.2% with a decrease of 0.7 points, of households without dependent children was 3.8% with a decrease of 0.2 points and of households with dependent children was 17% with a decrease of 0.9 points compared to previous year.

25.4% of illiterates and 1.5% of higher education graduates were poor

In terms of the at-risk-of-poverty-rate according to poverty threshold set at 50% of median equivalised household disposable income, 25.4% of illiterates and 21.7% of literates with no degree were poor. The figures for less than high school and high school graduates were 11.7% and 5.5% respectively. Higher education graduates were the group with the lowest poverty rate with 1.5%.

Persistent at-risk-of-poverty-rate was 14%

The persistent at-risk-of-poverty rate shows the percentage of the population living in households where the equivalised disposable income was below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold set at 60% of median equivalised household income for the current year and for at least two out of the preceding three years. In 2017 the persistent at-risk-of-poverty-rate was 14% while it was 14.6% in the previous year.

The percentage of people living in their own dwellings was 59.1%

In 2016, 59.1% of the population lived in their own dwellings while 40.8% had a heating problem due to isolation, 36.6% had problems with their dwellings such as leaking roof, damp walls/floors/foundation, rot in window frames/floors and 22.9% had pollution, grime due to traffic/industry or other environmental problems.

The percentage of people having installments or loans was 69.2%

69.2% of the population had installments or loans (other than the mortgage -for the main dwelling- and housing cost) whilst the rate of the population who reported they cannot afford one week's annual holiday away from home was 60.8% and regarded housing costs as a heavy financial burden was 13.4%.

Severe material deprivation rate was 28.7%

Material deprivation reflects to perception of households about inability to pay unexpected financial expenses, one week's annual holiday away from home, mortgage or rent payments, a meal with meat, chicken, fish every second day and heating home adequately warm and the ownership of a washing machine, a color TV, a telephone and a car.

The severe material deprivation rate defined as the rate of people faced with the enforced inability to afford at least four of the above-mentioned items decreased from 32.9% in 2016 to 28.7% in 2017.

TURKSTAT announced for the next news release related to this subject to be published on September 2019.

ILKHA