China Review News recently reviewed an article by China Youth Daily on the recently published number of the percentage of the Beijing population that is middle class. It was reported that 40% of the population, which equals 5.4 million, are considered “middle class.” This percentage is above the national average – 23%. However the article questions the accuracy of the numbers and suggests that the largest majority is at the bottom of the “middle class” range. The article also refers to other statistics to prove that the 40% is hard to justify. Also, the new 40% number is based on registered households. A large number of people who live in Beijing are not registered. The article concluded that the latest optimistic number is just a “fairy tale.”
Source: China Review News, August 2, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/0/1/0/101401061.html?coluid=5&kindid=24&docid=101401061&mdate=0802224246