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The rising cost of living remains the most pressing issue for people in Turkey, according to the latest Life Satisfaction Survey released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), despite the agency reporting a rise in self-declared happiness levels.
According to the survey, nearly a third of respondents, 31.3 percent, cited the cost of living as the country’s biggest problem. Poverty followed at 16.5 percent and education at 16.1 percent — figures that indicate ongoing economic strain in a country that has grappled with high inflation and declining purchasing power in recent years.
Despite these concerns, TurkStat said the proportion of adults aged 18 and over who described themselves as happy rose by 3.7 percentage points, from 49.6 percent in 2024 to 53.3 percent in 2025. The share of those who said they were unhappy fell from 14.5 percent to 13 percent.
According to the survey 51.4 percent of men said they were happy in 2025, compared to 55.1 percent of women.
Happiness increased across all age groups, with the sharpest rise recorded among people aged 55–64, where the rate climbed from 47.5 percent to 54.6 percent.
Marital status also appeared to correlate with well-being. While 56.9 percent of married respondents said they were happy, the figure dropped to 46.6 percent among unmarried individuals. Among married participants, 59.6 percent of women and 54.2 percent of men described themselves as happy.
Family was cited as the primary source of happiness by 69 percent of respondents. Children followed at 15.6 percent, while 4.8 percent said their main source of happiness was themselves.
When asked about the most important values contributing to happiness, 64.9 percent ranked health first, followed by love, success, money and work.
Although some 67.1 percent of respondents said they felt hopeful about the future, overall life satisfaction remained unchanged. On a scale of 0 to 10, the average score stayed at 5.7, the same as the previous year.
The findings come at a time when Turkey continues to face persistent economic challenges. Inflation has eroded household incomes over the past several years, and the Turkish lira has been among the weakest-performing emerging market currencies.
Turkey’s annual consumer inflation has stayed above 30 percent since December 2021, rising to 85.51 percent in October 2022, easing to 38.21 percent in June 2023, climbing again to 75.45 percent in May 2024 and then slowing to 30.65 percent in January 2026.
However, the official figures are challenged by independent economists from the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), who estimate consumer price inflation at 53.4 percent over the past 12 months.
TurkStat has long faced criticism from opposition parties and independent economists for allegedly understating key economic indicators, particularly inflation and unemployment. A 2024 MetroPoll survey found that 61.7 percent of Turks believe TurkStat underreports inflation, reflecting deep mistrust in official statistics.
The contrast between widespread economic anxiety and rising happiness levels is likely to fuel further debate about how well official data captures the broader economic reality experienced by households.