Economic Progress

A global tipping point: Half the world is now middle class or wealthier

Women walk in the financial area of Pudong in Shanghai April 26, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (CHINA - Tags: SOCIETY) - GM1E74Q1IVV01

Five people a second are entering the middle class. Image: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Homi Kharas
Interim Vice President and Director - Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution, USA
Kristofer Hamel
Chief Operating Officer, World Data Lab
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Economic Progress

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Number of people who are poor, vulnerable, middle class, and rich worldwide.
Number of people who are poor, vulnerable, middle class, and rich worldwide. Image: Projections by World Data Lab
Figures in parenthesis indicate the increase/decrease in the number of people in each category by 2030. Image: Projections by World Data Lab
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