Key Facts: Turkey Wages
- Country
- Turkey (TUR)
- Continent
- Europe
- Currency
- Turkish Lira (TRY)
- Minimum Wage
- ₺164.94 /hr ($3.53 USD)
- Average Gross Monthly Salary
- ₺25,482 /month
- Average Gross Annual Salary
- ₺305,784 /year
- Standard Work Week
- 45 hours
- Data Source
- Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı); 2026 figure announced by Minister Vedat Işıkhan, verified via Daily Sabah (dailysabah.com)
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-04
Turkey — Average Salary & Wages
Turkish Lira (TRY) Data verified Jan 2026 Sources
The average salary in Turkey is
₺305,784 a year
After tax, take-home pay is about ₺240,259 a year.
The minimum wage in Turkey is ₺164.94/hr ($3.53 USD) as of 2026. The average gross monthly salary is ₺25,482 ($545.98 USD).
Turkey's minimum wage is among the lowest for Europe, ranking #32 out of 40 countries with statutory minimum wages. Over the past 6 years, the minimum wage has increased by 1022% in nominal terms. The standard work week is 45 hours.
Annual average gross earnings, TUIK Structure of Earnings Survey 2023 (biennial; latest available). Turkey's very high inflation means current nominal earnings are materially higher than this 2023 figure; treat as a dated baseline. A large share of workers earn near the minimum wage.
About the Turkey economy
Turkey operates a large, diversified upper-middle-income economy with a GDP of $1.323 trillion at official exchange rates in 2024. Services generate 56.8 percent of output, industry 25.9 percent, and agriculture 5.6 percent (OpenFactBook, 2024 est.). Key industries include textiles, food processing, automobiles, electronics, mining, steel, and construction. Germany is the leading export destination at 9 percent, followed by the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq. Real GDP growth has stayed solid through repeated currency stress, posting 5.5 percent in 2022, 5.1 percent in 2023, and 3.2 percent in 2024.
The labor force totals approximately 36.081 million workers as of 2024. Unemployment fell to 8.5 percent in 2024 from 10.5 percent in 2022, while youth unemployment for workers aged 15 to 24 stands at 15.6 percent; the rate reaches 21.2 percent for young women (OpenFactBook, 2024 est.). Inflation dominates every wage conversation in Turkey. Consumer prices rose 72.3 percent in 2022, 53.9 percent in 2023, and 58.5 percent in 2024. Disinflation has since taken hold; the Turkish Statistical Institute reported annual inflation of 32.61 percent in May 2026. The lira has depreciated steeply across the same period, from 8.85 per US dollar in 2021 to 32.806 per US dollar in 2024, which erodes the dollar value of nominal wage gains.
Turkey sets a single national statutory minimum wage, the asgari ucret, through a tripartite commission that has revised it annually or semi-annually during the high-inflation period. Effective 1 January 2026, the gross minimum wage is 33,030 Turkish lira per month, or 28,075.50 lira net, a 27 percent increase over the 2025 rate. The minimum wage anchors an unusually large share of the pay distribution. Research by the trade union confederation DISK found that in 2025 nearly 9.5 million workers, or 46.7 percent of all wage earners, received pay at or around the minimum wage; among women the share reached 60.1 percent. Because each annual revision repriced nearly half the workforce at once during the 2022 to 2026 inflation wave, the asgari ucret functions closer to a national wage benchmark than a wage floor.
• SECTOR RATES
Net (take-home) 2026
₺28,075 /mo
Since 2026-01-01
Net (after SSI + income tax) version of the 2026 minimum wage. Often quoted as the headline figure in Turkish media.
Minimum Wage Trend
Since 2020, the minimum wage has grown +1022% in nominal terms.
• PPP ADJUSTED
In Turkey, the minimum wage has the purchasing power of $14.44/hr in the United States, adjusted for local cost of living using the World Bank PPP conversion factor.
In Context
At minimum wage, a full-time worker in Turkey earns ₺28,589/mo. That is 112% of the average gross salary.
- Monthly (full-time)
- ₺28,589 at min. wage
- Share of avg. salary
- 112% gross, before tax
- USD equivalent
- $612.55/mo monthly
- Nominal growth
- +1022% since 2020
Wage Breakdown
- Hourly
- ₺164.94
- Monthly
- ₺33,030
- Annual
- ₺396,36012 monthly payments
Asgari ücret (minimum wage). 2026 rate of TRY 33,030 gross / TRY 28,075 net announced 23 December 2025 by Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan, representing a 27% year-over-year increase set by the tripartite Minimum Wage Determination Commission (Asgari Ücret Tespit Komisyonu). Starting in 2024, minimum wage is set once per year (previously adjusted mid-year due to high inflation). The minimum wage is exempt from income tax since July 2022 up to the minimum wage amount.
Work Week
- Standard
- 45 hrs/wk
- Maximum
- 45 hrs/wk
- Overtime
- 1.5x pay
Standard workweek is 45 hours under the Labour Act (No. 4857). Can be distributed unevenly across days of the week, but no more than 11 hours/day. Overtime is limited to 270 hours/year. Overtime premium is 50%; weekend/holiday work is at 100% premium if the worker does not get a substitute rest day.
How Turkey Compares
| Metric | Turkey | Europe Avg. | Europe Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min. wage (USD equiv.) | $3.53/hr | $8.37/hr | $17.79/hr (Luxembourg) |
| Avg. salary (USD equiv.) | $545.98/mo | $3,218.62/mo | $9,615.38/mo (Switzerland) |
Countries with Similar Minimum Wages
| Country | Min. Wage /hr (USD) |
|---|---|
| Albania | $3.51 |
| Marshall Islands | $3.50 |
| Palau | $3.50 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | $3.46 |
| China | $3.68 |
| Turkey | $3.53 |
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Wages tell half the story. See purchasing power, prices, and quality-of-life context for Turkey on our sister site.
Cost of living in Turkey on costofliving.is →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum wage in Turkey?
The minimum wage in Turkey is ₺164.94/hr (approximately $3.53 USD), effective since 2026-01-01. Asgari ücret (minimum wage). 2026 rate of TRY 33,030 gross / TRY 28,075 net announced 23 December 2025 by Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan, representing a 27% year-over-year increase set by the tripartite Minimum Wage Determination Commission (Asgari Ücret Tespit Komisyonu). Starting in 2024, minimum wage is set once per year (previously adjusted mid-year due to high inflation). The minimum wage is exempt from income tax since July 2022 up to the minimum wage amount.
What is the average salary in Turkey?
The average gross monthly salary in Turkey is ₺25,482 (approximately $545.98 USD). Annual average gross earnings, TUIK Structure of Earnings Survey 2023 (biennial; latest available). Turkey's very high inflation means current nominal earnings are materially higher than this 2023 figure; treat as a dated baseline. A large share of workers earn near the minimum wage. Source: TURKSTAT (TUIK) — Structure of Earnings Statistics 2023 (2023).
How many hours is the standard work week in Turkey?
The standard work week in Turkey is 45 hours, with a legal maximum of 45 hours. Overtime is paid at 1.5x the normal rate. Standard workweek is 45 hours under the Labour Act (No. 4857). Can be distributed unevenly across days of the week, but no more than 11 hours/day. Overtime is limited to 270 hours/year. Overtime premium is 50%; weekend/holiday work is at 100% premium if the worker does not get a substitute rest day.
How has the minimum wage in Turkey changed over time?
The minimum wage in Turkey has changed as follows: ₺2,943 in 2020, ₺3,577.50 in 2021, ₺5,500.35 in 2022, ₺11,402 in 2023, ₺17,002 in 2024, ₺26,005.50 in 2025, ₺33,030 in 2026. This represents 7 recorded adjustments.
What is the minimum wage in Turkey in USD?
The minimum wage in Turkey converts to approximately $3.53/hr in US dollars, based on current exchange rates. Note: this dollar value uses the official reference exchange rate; for this currency, high volatility or parallel/unofficial exchange rates can make the real dollar value differ substantially. Actual purchasing power may differ due to local cost of living.
What is the average salary in Turkey in USD?
The average gross monthly salary in Turkey is approximately $545.98 per month in US dollars, based on current exchange rates. Note: this dollar value uses the official reference exchange rate; for this currency, high volatility or parallel/unofficial exchange rates can make the real dollar value differ substantially. Actual purchasing power may differ due to local cost of living.
How does Turkey's minimum wage compare to the Europe average?
Turkey's minimum wage ranks #32 out of 40 countries with statutory minimum wages in Europe, placing it below the median for Europe.
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