A study published by the Social Science Academic Press and Beijing University of Technology and excerpted from China Daily in an article dated 19 July 2010, authored by Wang Wen, revealed:
The expanding ranks of the middle class in the capital city have grown to 5.4 million, some 40 percent of the city?s permanent residents.
The average income of a member of the middle class in Beijing is about 5,923 yuan per month. The total income of the average Beijing middle class family is 10,007 yuan per month.
Placing these statistics in perspective, the World Bank defined middle class in developing countries as those earning about 27,100 yuan or more per year. The average annual income of a member of the middle class in Beijing is 71,076 yuan.
The World Bank further reported that only six developing countries boasted a middle class comprising more than 40 per cent of their total population, while China?s middle class comprises only 23 percent of its populace.
