Türkiye – WFP/IFRC/TRC: Minimum Expenditure Basket After the Earthquake Disaster in Türkiye – June 2024 – Türkiye

Following two devastating earthquakes in southeastern Turkey in February 2023, the UN WFP and the Türk Kızılay KIZILAYKART collaborated on a study using the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) methodology and analysis. This study aimed to assess and quantify basic needs to support emergency response efforts. More than a year after these devastating earthquakes, relief efforts are still underway in the most affected areas.

The average earthquake-affected household consists of five people, including two children and three adults, based on pre-earthquake population data and field assessments. The food component of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) covers expenditures related to a nutritionally balanced diet, while expenditures related to 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 TURKSTAT.

In June 2024, the cost of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) increased by 3.48 percent compared to May 2024, reaching 2,996 TRY per individual and 14,831 TRY for a household of five. The increase in shelter components has been driving the MEB calculation. Despite the slight decreases in two consecutive months (March and April), food prices indicate an upward movement again. After surpassing the food share in March 2024, rent expenditure has retained its first place at the top of the MEB component share. In addition, the annual inflation rate lost momentum and decreased from 76 percent to 72 percent, while the monthly inflation rate was actualized at 1.64 percent.