On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 4.8%, accelerating from 2.1% in December, driven mainly by increases in housing and food, the TUIK statistics agency said.

Food prices jumped 7.8% month‑on‑month, while housing costs were up 6.7%.

Year-on-year, the steepest price increases were recorded in education (64.7%), housing (45.4%) and food (31.7%).

Turkey has recorded annual inflation above 30% since December 2021, peaking at more than 75% in May 2024 before gradually slowing.

However, the official figures continue to be challenged by independent economists from the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), who estimate consumer price inflation at 53.4% over the past 12 months.

Turkey’s central bank cut its key interest rate to 37% last month as annual inflation continued to slow.

The country has experienced double-digit inflation since 2019, making life increasingly more expensive for millions of people, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered interest rate cuts in a bid to spur growth.

But the cuts sent the lira plunging on currency markets, further fuelling inflation and leading Erdogan to reverse his unorthodox policy in 2023.