World Bank: "Your Biggest Problem is the 20 Million People Living Under the Poverty Level"

While discussing how Turkey needs to develop a strong working environment, World Bank Turkey representative Andrew Vorkink noted that one of the most serious problems facing the country was the enormous gap between rich and poor segments of the society.In a talk at a seminar sponsored by the Turkish Group of Industrialists and Businessmen (TUSAID), Vorkink said "In Turkey, 27% of the population, or 20 million people, are living under the poverty level." Noting that the current poverty level is calculated to be anything below $2.15 a day, Vorkink went on "it is for this reason that the World Bank is placing such importance on school and hospital and general health reforms in Turkey."  Two Billion in Foreign Investment Not Enough Asserting that recent foreign investment in Turkey is not enough to boost the economy, Vorkink said "There is a 300 billion dollar economy here in Turkey, and last year foreign investment was around 2 billion dollars, with half of this in real estate purchases. I personally think that Turkey is ahead of Croatia and Romania, but the final decision on this matter will of course be made by the European Union." Â