Here's What China's Middle Classes Really Earn — and Spend
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China's working population — 770.4 million people — is the largest in the world. But the middle class that dominates its consumer market still only accounts for a tiny fraction of that number: less than 2 percent of workers earn enough to pay income tax, according to Goldman Sachs.
The creation of at least 10 million urban jobs — one of the goals announced at the National People's Congress — would affect only a small proportion of the population, but would still mean a considerable boost to the size of the middle class. So while China's taste for luxury goods may attract more attention, the country's appetite for staples says more about daily life for most people.