Turkey’s income inequality has remained largely unchanged despite a surge in average household income, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s (TurkStat) latest Income and Living Conditions Survey for 2025.
The richest 20% of the population received 48% of the total income, while the poorest 20% accounted for just 6.4%. Although the shares shifted slightly compared to the previous year, with a 0.1-point decrease for the top quintile and a 0.1-point increase for the bottom, the overall gap persisted.
The Gini coefficient, a key measure of income inequality where 0 represents perfect equality and 1 absolute inequality, stood at 0.410, down slightly from the previous year’s 0.413. The income ratio between the top and bottom 20% (P80/P20) fell to 7.5. The ratio between the richest and poorest 10% (P90/P10) was 12.9.
When social transfers were excluded, inequality increased significantly. Without any transfers, the Gini coefficient rose to 0.473. When only pensions and survivor benefits were included, it stood at 0.420. Calculated based on gross income, it was 0.422.
Increase in average income
Despite the rise in inequality indicators, average incomes recorded substantial gains. The average annual disposable household income increased by 76.7% to 662,414 liras. Individual equivalent income, which adjusts for household size and composition, rose 77.3% to 332,882 liras (1 US dollar =
Income remained most concentrated at the top. The highest average individual income was recorded in single-person households at 418,025 liras. Households with at least one nuclear family and additional individuals had the lowest average at 264,413 liras.
Wages and salaries constituted the largest share of income at 49.7%, reflecting a 0.9-point rise from the previous year. Entrepreneurial income declined by 2.5 points to 18.3%. Social transfers made up 18.2% of total income, with pensions and survivor benefits comprising 89.3% of this category.
Education played a significant role in income levels. University graduates had an average income of 566,839 liras. High school graduates earned 376,932 liras, and those with no formal education earned 183,900 liras. The highest annual increase in income was among university graduates at 83%.
Sectors
Among economic sectors, services led with an average income of 426,045 liras. Agriculture ranked last with 237,461 liras. The construction sector saw the fastest annual income growth at 79%.
Income also varied sharply based on employment status. Employers had the highest average income at 1,204,791 liras. Salaried workers earned 379,047 liras. The self-employed earned 348,045 liras, while daily wage earners made 186,682 liras.
Regionally, Ankara reported the highest average individual income at 449,618 liras. İstanbul followed with 434,929 liras, and İzmir with 405,896 liras. The lowest was in the TRB2 region, which includes Van, Muş, Bitlis and Hakkari, at 172,552 liras.
The widest regional income gap was in TR71, which includes Kırıkkale, Aksaray, Niğde, Nevşehir and Kırşehir, where the P80/P20 ratio reached 8.5. Other regions with high disparity included TR61 (Antalya, Isparta, Burdur) at 8.3 and TRA2 (Ağrı, Kars, Iğdır, Ardahan) at 8.1.
The data also revealed limited income mobility. According to TurkStat, 68.1% of those in the bottom 10% income group remained in the same group the following year. Among the top 10%, 58.9% also stayed in place. (HA/VK)
Source: BIANET
