A TWO-SPEED CITY

The city of Istanbul is one of the most densely populated places in the world and is characterized by being the junction point between western and eastern culture. This ethnic diversity has led to enormous cultural diversity, but has also caused social imbalances. 

Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, had the highest income inequality in 2017  (Turkish Statistics Institute). The Gini coefficient is one of the measures of inequality. It varies between 0, which reflects complete equality, and 1, which indicates complete inequality. According to TÜİK’s latest income and living conditions survey, the Gini coefficient for Istanbul, the country’s business, financial and commercial center, was 0.443 last year, the highest in the country.