The Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) has revealed Türkiye’s income distribution statistics in recent years, based on data collected from the Income and Living Conditions Survey. In this article, we focus on income inequality and distribution patterns in households, employment, education and sector from 2022 to 2024 results. All income figures are expressed in Turkish Lira (TL).

Overview

Distribution of Annual Equivalised Household Disposable Income by Ordered Quintiles

  • In 2024, the share of the top quintile was 48.1%, a decrease of 0.6% from the previous year.
  • In the same time period, the bottom quintile’s share was 6.3% and saw a 0.2% decrease.

Household Income Patterns and Regional Differences

Income Distribution Indicators by Equivalised Household Disposable Income

Gini Coefficient in Turkey

  • The Gini coefficient is a measure of economic inequality that varies from 0, which indicates complete equality, to 1, which indicates complete inequality. Turkey’s Gini coefficient in 2024 was estimated to be 0.413, a decrease of 0.007 points compared to the previous year.

S80/S20 and S90/S10 Ratio

  • The S80/S20 ratio, which is the ratio of the income received by the richest 20% of the population to that received by the poorest 20% of the population, decreased by 0.2 points in 2024 compared to 2023.
  • The S90/S10 ratio, calculated as the income received by the richest 10% of the population to that received by the poorest 10% of the population, decreased by 0.5% in the same time period.
  • Due to income inequality in the country, higher-income groups possess significantly greater disposable income and spending power.

Mean Annual Household Disposable Income

  • The mean annual household disposable income was 374,899 TL in 2024, a 106.9% increase compared to the previous year.
  • In the same year, the mean annual equivalised household disposable income increased by 108.3% compared to the previous year from 90,116 TL to 187,728 TL

Mean Annual Equivalised Household Disposable Income by Household Type

  • Among the different household types, multi-person no-family households had the highest mean annual equivalised household disposable income with a 124,506 TL increase compared to previous year.

Comparison of Income in Turkey’s Capital to the National Average (2024)

Mean Annual Equivalised Household Disposable Income – National Mean vs Capital (Ankara) vs Richest City (Istanbul)

  • Ankara had the second highest mean annual equivalised household disposable income in the country at 248, 285 TL, following Istanbul which had at mean of 257, 891 TL.

Income Inequality (S80/S20) Ratio – National Mean vs Capital (Ankara) vs Richest City (Istanbul)

  • Ankara also had the second highest income inequality level in the country with a S80/20 ratio of 7.6, following Istanbul which had a ratio of 7.7.

Income Inequality by Employment, Education and Sector

Distribution by Income Type in 2024 (%)

Top 3 Income Types

Mean Annual Income at Main Job by Education Status

  • The highest increase in income at main job from 2023 to 2024 was observed in the individuals who graduated from high school or equivalent with 110.2%, and the lowest increase was in those with no degree with 88.2%.

Mean Annual Income at Main Job by Sector

  • In 2024, the highest mean annual income was in the service sector with 242,299 TL which saw a 100.2% increase compared to the year before.
  • The agricultural sector had the lowest mean with 153,773 TL and saw a 66.0% increase from 2023 to 2024.
  • In the same time period, the construction sector observed the highest increase in mean annual income with 115.4%, followed by the industrial sector with 102.0%.