This is a great shame for the country
The number of children at risk of being taken from their families reached 171,895 as of June. It has emerged that in Turkey, people are still trying to live in 11,000 homes deemed “too old to be habitable” and that 11.8 million people are experiencing extreme poverty.
The economic policy largely set in the Presidential Palace has driven millions of households into poverty. While a small minority close to the government has grown richer, many citizens have been left unable to meet even their most basic needs. The country’s social assistance record shows that millions can survive only through aid. The Ministry of Family and Social Services has released poverty data for January–June 2025. The data once again revealed a heartbreaking picture.
CHILDREN WITHOUT CARE
According to the Ministry’s data, poverty has soared since 2018, the year it was claimed that “Turkey would take off.” In 2018, the number of children unable to have even their basic needs met by their families and at risk of being taken from them was 122,489; as of June 2025, it reached 171,895. The year-by-year change in the number of children whose families cannot care for them was reflected in the poverty data as follows:
- 2018: 122,489
- 2020: 129,422
- 2022: 157,248
- 2024: 170,317
- 2025 (Jan–June): 171,895
The number of children assessed as “at risk” during Ministry team visits to schools also drew attention. It was reported that 64,158 children were assessed as socioeconomically at risk during such visits.
EXTREMELY POOR HOUSEHOLDS
The number of “extremely poor” households was also revealed. Under the Turkey Family Support Programme, launched in 2022 to “lift citizens below the extreme poverty line out of extreme poverty,” the number of households supported was 2,969,483. Based on TurkStat’s calculation of four people per household, the number of extremely poor people in Turkey was 11,879,132.
The data also recorded the number of people who can continue their education or access health services only through social assistance. As of June 2025, 2,083,353 people had received funds under the Conditional Education and Conditional Health Assistance programmes, which require families at risk of poverty to send their children to school regularly and have regular health check-ups.
According to the Ministry, in the first half of 2025 millions of households could only pay their electricity and natural gas bills through social assistance. In this period, 3,461,452 households received electricity consumption support and 669,653 households received natural gas consumption support.
OLD AND DILAPIDATED HOUSES
The number of homes deemed too old, dilapidated, and unhealthy to live in has also revealed the depth of poverty. Since January, inspections have identified 10,888 households living in homes classed as “too old, dilapidated, and unhealthy to be habitable.”
GSS DEBTORS
The Ministry’s data also revealed that in the first six months of the year, the number of people unable to pay their General Health Insurance (GSS) premiums exceeded 8 million. The number of people whose premiums were paid by the Ministry due to inability to pay was 8,217,937.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Bu tablo ülke için büyük utanç, published in BirGün newspaper on August 15, 2025.
