The Turkey Crisis Newsrael News Desk JUL 6, 2026
Turkey’s addiction crisis becomes a major economic blow
Turkey is facing another serious economic burden: addiction.
A report by Turkey’s Green Crescent estimates the annual economic cost of addictions in the country at $78 billion — close to 5% of GDP. That is more than Turkey’s annual tourism revenues and nearly three times the country’s current account deficit.
According to the report, the damage breaks down as follows: gambling accounts for $40 billion, cigarettes for $24 billion, alcohol for $9 billion, and drugs for $5 billion.
The most striking figure is gambling. Its cost alone equals roughly 2.5% of Turkey’s GDP, higher than the combined cost of alcohol and drugs and approaching two-thirds of Turkey’s tourism income.
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