Türkiye - WFP/IFRC/TRC: Minimum Expenditure Basket After the ...

After two destructive earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye in February 2023, the UN WFP and Türk Kızılay KIZILAYKART (Turkish Red Crescent) collaborated on a study using the Minimum Expenditure Basket¹ (MEB) methodology and analysis. This paper aimed to support emergency response efforts by assessing and measuring basic needs. Despite the time that has passed since these catastrophic earthquakes, relief efforts continue in the most affected regions.

Based on pre-earthquake population data and field assessments, the average earthquake-affected household consists of five people, including two children and three adults. The food component of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) covers expenditures related to a nutrient-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 TURKSTAT².

In March 2024, the cost of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) increased by 2.94 percent compared to February 2024, reaching 2,726 TRY per individual and 13,629 TRY for a household of five. Although food prices were reduced slightly with the start of Spring season, increases in the rent, utilities, and NFIs components, which account for more than 50 percent of the MEB value, led to the increase in the MEB value. In addition, the annual inflation rate continued to rise, reaching 68.5 percent, while the monthly inflation rate was 3.16 percent.