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Estimating the Middle Class in Pakistan

Author

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  • Durr-e-Nayab

    (Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad)

Abstract

The middle class is primarily an urban phenomenon generally associated with professional occupations, service sector and salaried jobs. Yet despite a general acceptance of the important economic, political and social role that the middle class plays in society, the term itself remains ambiguous and arbitrary. In much of recent literature the middle class is equated with middle income which does not reflect what „class? refers to in classical writings. The present paper takes a multidimensional approach to measure the middle class in Pakistan through a weighted composite index that takes into account all possible factors associated with the concept, including income, occupation, education, housing and lifestyle. Using the Pakistan Social and Living Measurement Survey (PSLM) 2007-08, the magnitude of the middle class in the country, as represented by the „expanded middle class?, is estimated at around 35 percent of the total population. The proposed measure of the middle class has a sense of stability attached to it, making it less susceptible to sudden inflationary shocks than an income-based measure.

Suggested Citation

  • Durr-e-Nayab, 2011. "Estimating the Middle Class in Pakistan," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 50(1), pages 1-28.
    • Handle: RePEc:pid:journl:v:50:y:2011:i:1:p:1-28
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    File URL: http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PDR/2011/Volume1/1-28.pdf
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Pakistan’s Middle-Class Rage Against Military Rule
      by Adeel Malik in Project Syndicate on 2024-02-14 16:05:43

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Adnan Shoaib & Muhammad Ayub Siddiqui, 2020. "Why do people participate in ROSCA saving schemes? Findings from a qualitative empirical study," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 47(2), pages 177-189, June.
    2. Amjad, Rashid & Shahzad, Almazia, 2019. "Breaking out of Pakistan’s Stop-Go Economic Cycles: Do the “Twin” Fiscal and Current Account Deficits Hold the Key? 1999-2019," MPRA Paper 106064, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Lukas Schlogl & Andy Sumner, 2014. "How Middle Class are the ‘Emerging Middle’ or ‘Scooter Class’ in Indonesia? A Household Asset Approach to Social Stratification," Working Papers in Economics and Development Studies (WoPEDS) 201407, Department of Economics, Padjadjaran University, revised May 2014.
    4. Shakoor Ahmad Wani, 2021. "The New Baloch Militancy: Drivers and Dynamics," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 77(3), pages 479-500, September.
    5. Shahzad Farid & Saif Ur Rehman Saif Abbasi & Qaisar Khalid Mahmood, 2021. "Modelling Bourdieusian Social Reproduction Theory," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 297-333, August.
    6. Mariam Shahzadi & Muhammad Faraz Riaz & Sofia Anwar & Samia Nasreen, 2017. "How unequal is the size of middle class in the rural urban areas of Punjab province," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 44(2), pages 253-266, February.
    7. Rashid Amjad, 2014. "Pakistan’s Growth Spurts and Reversals: A Historical Perspective," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 19(Special E), pages 91-104, September.
    8. repec:pid:wpaper:2012:5 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Khan, Suhrab & Ali, Kazim, 2024. "Who demands technical and vocational education in Pakistan? A PSLM analysis of socio-economic determinants," International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training (IJRVET), European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET), European Educational Research Association, vol. 11(2), pages 250-284.
    10. Esteban Cabrera Cevallos & Edwin Buena�o, 2018. "¿Ha crecido la clase media en el Ecuador? Un análisis mediante índices de polarización del ingreso para el periodo 2007-2014," Revista de Economía del Rosario, Universidad del Rosario, vol. 21(1), pages 121-152.
    11. Vaqar Ahmed & Samavia Batool, 2017. "India-Pakistan Trade: Perspectives from the Automobile Sector in Pakistan," Working Papers id:12263, eSocialSciences.
    12. G. M. Arif & Shujaat Farooq, 2012. "Poverty Reduction in Pakistan: Learning from the Experience of China," PIDE Monograph Series 2012:2, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    13. Muhammad Jehangir Khan & G. M. Arif, 2016. "Household Charity in Pakistan: Magnitude, Determinants and Its Importance for the Well-being of Society," PIDE-Working Papers 2016:141, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    14. Rashid Amjad & Musleh Ud Din & Idrees Khawaja & Nasir Iqbal & Ahmad Waqar Qasim, 2012. "The 7th Nfc Award: An Evaluation," PIDE Monograph Series 2012:5, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    15. Amjad, Rashid & Yusuf, Anam, 2014. "More and better jobs for Pakistan: Can the manufacturing sector play a greater role," MPRA Paper 59518, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • R20 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - General
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics

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