Figures disclosed by Turkey’s main opposition the Republican People’s Party (CHP) convey the economic woes ordinary citizens and businesses are facing, with cases of debt collection and bankruptcy reaching alarming rates over the years.

Between 2004 and 2014 the number of cases in collection has jumped from 557,411 all the way up to 2,135,948 while the number of cases under review has reached 20,126,123 from 7,220,845, in the same period.

Turkey’s three main metropolises Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir were in the top three. Of the 4,493,038 cases for collection opened in 2013, 2,178,852 occurred in Istanbul.

Meanwhile the number of declarations of bankruptcy have increased by 10 percent between 2013 and 2014 from 2,577 to 2,839

By Ezelhan Üstünkaya | Ankara