Türkiye Assistance Overview, June 2023 – Türkiye
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck central southern Türkiye on February 6, followed by at least 78 tremors, including a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquakes resulted in 50,783 deaths and injury to approximately 107,000 people as of May 17, according to the Government of Türkiye (GoT) and the UN. The earthquakes directly affected an estimated 9.1 million people—including 4 million children—and damaged approximately 500,000 buildings, the UN reports. More than 11,000 aftershocks and heavy rainfall followed the earthquakes, resulting in subsequent flooding and approximately 2,800 landslides, causing the deaths of at least 110 individuals, according to local media. Moreover, the destruction of critical water supply and treatment infrastructure continues to affect water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for millions of people across the country, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The February earthquakes displaced an estimated 3 million people in Türkiye, with 1.6 million people residing in informal temporary settlements and approximately 800,000 residing in formal GoT-managed displacement sites as of May 17, according to the UN. Informal settlements lack adequate access to health assistance, safe drinking water, and WASH services amid rising summer temperatures, increasing concern for the spread of disease. Other key humanitarian needs in informal sites include access to information on available services, psychosocial support services, and social protection schemes.
An estimated 3.4 million Syrian refugees—representing more than 60 percent of all Syrian refugees—and more than 322,000 refugees from other countries resided in Türkiye as of June 8, according to GoT. Approximately 63,000 Syrian refugees live in camps in earthquake-affected areas of southeastern Türkiye, and experience increased food insecurity and reduced purchasing power due to rising food prices and annual inflation, further exacerbated by infrastructure damage and production losses from the earthquakes, the World Bank and international media report.
