According to The Economist, there are 225 million middle-class people in China, who are the most anxious people in the world at present. The definition of middle class in China is: "The group with annual household income of 1. 1.55 million to 43,000 dollars, that is, the group with annual household income of 80,000 to 300,000 yuan." The internationally accepted definition of "middle class" refers to the collection of people whose income and property are at or near the social average level or the median income and property.

The proportion of the middle class in China is only 18% of the total population. At present, the primary problem is to expand the proportion of the middle class. Expanding the proportion of the middle class is a huge and complex systematic project, involving economic, social and cultural aspects. To achieve good results, it is very important to set goals.

By 2020, the total number of middle-income workers will increase to 270 million, accounting for more than 30%; Together with the population they support, the middle-income group will increase to nearly 400 million, accounting for more than 28% of the total population of the country by then. By the middle of this century, the goal can be set as follows: China's middle-income group will develop into a middle class, and its total number will increase to more than 960 million, accounting for about 70% of the country's total population by then.

Sociologist C. Wright Mills published "American Middle Class" in 195 1, and elaborated on what is the middle class?

The middle class usually has a comfortable living standard, an important sense of economic security, considerable autonomy in work, and can rely on their own expertise to maintain a high quality of life. Members of the middle class belong to different groups that overlap with each other.

Japanese management guru Kenichi Ohmae once asked the middle class three questions:

First, is the mortgage a big pressure on your life?

Second, are you afraid of getting married, or are you not going to have children?

Third, does your child's future education cost worry you?

Kenichi Ohmae believes that if the answer to any of these three questions is "yes", you are not middle class.

According to China's national conditions, the middle class should not only have a rich and stable income, but also have a certain social status, family assets, excellent academic qualifications and quality of life. Compare and see if you have entered the middle class.

Annual income above middle level

Forbes believes that the annual income of middle-class families in China should be between 654.38+0,000 and 60,000 dollars, while the standard formulated by McKinsey Global Institute says that the middle class refers to people with an annual income between 654.38+0.35 million and 53,900 dollars.

According to a survey released by the National Bureau of Statistics, 600,000-500,000 yuan is the standard to define the household income of middle-income groups in cities in China (calculated by the average family population of three people).

According to the national GDP per capita annual income of 50,000 yuan, the group with annual income between 6,543,800+10,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan basically belongs to the middle class in China.

The reason why the range is so large is that the cost of living is different in different regions. For example, if you are in Beijing, 6.5438+million is obviously not enough for the middle class. According to the urban area, there is still room for decline of 5.5438+million.

Of course, this income should also be stable, controllable and predictable, and future growth can outperform inflation.

Owns liquid assets and real estate.

No matter how high your income is, you can't become a middle class without a house and a car.

According to the questionnaire survey of respondents who consider themselves middle-class, the current assets reach 654.38 yuan +0.5 million yuan, and they have at least one house and a first-class brand car in the first-tier or provincial capital cities, with no loan burden or pressure.

This set of "standards" shows that the middle class should have some resilience, that is, in the event of unemployment, illness and other unexpected situations, the pressure of loans will not easily make it fall into this class.

Moreover, these assets should maintain an appropriate proportion in the total wealth, and the wealth on real estate should not exceed 30% of the wealth of the whole family. After all, nouveau riche and relocated households do not belong to this class.

Good education and high status.

To define the middle class, besides having stable income and certain wealth, it should also have a good education and a high social status. For example, online celebrities will not be middle class, and nouveau riche and relocated households will not be middle class.

The middle class should have a first-class college degree, or have study abroad experience and EMBA (Executive MBA).

The middle class is generally engaged in industries: civil servants above the director level, university professors, senior white-collar workers, well-known lawyers, senior engineers, state-owned enterprise executives and so on.

Excellent quality of life

The middle class is far more than material wealth, but also has a quality of life without losing style. The middle class has morality, etiquette and literacy, but its residence is not luxurious, but its location and materials are carefully selected. It pays attention to food safety and health care instead of ostentation and extravagance, and pays attention to propriety and comfort without considering the big name when dressing. In addition to the pursuit of material things, the middle class regards a rich spiritual life as a necessity for the soul. In my spare time, musicals and concerts are essential. I really love reading rather than being arty.

Although the middle class does not belong to absolute high income, it can basically achieve financial freedom, which is the goal pursued by most people but far from being achieved.

It's better to quit the internet, improve personal accomplishment, improve business skills and financial management ability, and always keep a modest learning attitude. Even if he fails to join the middle class, he will still have a life without regrets.