Türkiye – WFP/IFRC/TRC: Minimum Expenditure Basket After the Earthquake Disaster in Türkiye – December 2023 – Türkiye
Following the two massive earthquakes that struck southeastern Türkiye on February 2023, UN WFP, Türk Kızılay KIZILAYKART and IFRC jointly studied a Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB)¹ methodology and analysis to contribute to emergency response programs to quantify and inform basic needs. Several months after the earthquake, rapid response operations are still underway in the most affected areas.
Based on pre-earthquake population data and field assessments, the typical earthquake-affected household consists of an average of 5 people, including 2 children and 3 adults. The food segment within the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) includes expenses associated with a nutritionally balanced diet, and costs associated with health, shelter, education, transportation, and communication are calculated according to Sphere standards. The monthly calculations are using Consumption Price Index (CPI) data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute².
The cost of MEB experienced an increase of 3.69 percent from November to December, reaching 2,345 TRY per individual and 11,727 TRY for a household of five. The main contributors to this increase were food and rent, with a 3.72 percent increase in food costs and a 4.48 percent increase in rent costs driving the overall increase in MEB. The inflation rate has an upward trajectory, standing at 64.77 percent annually, while the monthly inflation rate is recorded at 2.93 percent.
