Mustafa Bildircin
A historic record has been set in the “Fight Against Poverty and Social Assistance” figures, which highlight the extent of deep poverty in Turkey. Expenditure under the “Fight Against Poverty” budget line—which has been the subject of controversy on the grounds that it is “used to conceal poverty”—reached its peak as of May 2026.
The economic crisis deepening day by day in Türkiye has left tens of millions of citizens in need of social assistance. The political administration has attempted to balance the striking picture of dependency on social assistance through social aid. In 2025, when the economic crisis gradually deepened, public expenditure under the name of “fight against poverty” stood at 359 billion 184 million 113 thousand TL.
PATCHING UP POVERTY
The social assistance expenditure item proudly presented by the AKP has once again brought to light the extent of dependency on aid in Türkiye. The expenditure of hundreds of billions of liras carried out in 2025 within the scope of combating poverty was sustained in 2026.
The total expenditure made from the central government budget within the scope of the fight against poverty in the January–May period of 2026 amounted to 190 billion 511 million 173 thousand TL. It was noteworthy that May was the month with the highest expenditure among the spending carried out in the first five months of 2026 within the scope of the fight against poverty.
The anti-poverty expenditure carried out in the first five months of 2026 is listed by month as follows:
January: 28 billion 141 million TL
February: 34 billion 413 million TL
March: 39 billion 901 million TL
April: 42 billion 568 million TL
May: 45 billion 485 million TL
GIGANTIC INCREASE
A striking change across the years has occurred in the money spent to combat poverty by the government, which has dragged Türkiye to the brink of the precipice due to economic policies prepared largely in the Palace. The “Anti-Poverty” expenditure of the AKP, which stood at 50 billion 781 million 566 thousand TL in 2021, is listed by year in the 2022–2026 period as follows:
2021: 50 billion 781 million 566 thousand TL
2022: 55 billion 171 million 122 thousand TL
2023: 97 billion 181 million 711 thousand TL
2024: 166 billion 378 million 738 thousand TL
2025: 359 billion 184 million 113 thousand TL
2026 (January–May): 190 billion 511 million TL
EXTREME POVERTY
The study by the Ministry of Family and Social Services (Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı) regarding the Income Supplementary Support System captures a snapshot of the deep poverty in Türkiye. The study, which presents the clearest picture of the scale that the dependency on aid has reached in Türkiye in the 24th year of AKP governments, shares projections for the number of households planned to benefit from the system. In the ministry's study, it is envisaged that 3 million 600 thousand households will be included in the Minimum Income Supplementary Support System in 2026. According to the calculation of TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute), which accepts a household as four people, it is stated that an income below the minimum wage will enter households where 14 million 400 thousand citizens reside in 2026.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Çeyrek asırda 15 milyon yoksul yarattı: 190,5 milyar TL'lik yoksulluk harcaması, published in BirGün newspaper on June 17, 2026.
