Beijing's middle class expands to 5.4 million

The expanding ranks of the middle class in the capital has grown to 5.4 million, some 40 percent of the city's permanent residents, according to a report released on July 17.

The study, which was published by the Social Science Academic Press and Beijing University of Technology, said the average income of a member of the middle class in Beijing is about 5,923 yuan per month. The total income of the average Beijing middle class family is 10,007 yuan per month.

According to a report from the World Bank in 2006, the middle class in developing countries should be defined as those people with a per capita income of $ 4,000 (about 27,100 yuan) or more. The average annual income of a member of the middle class in Beijing is 71,076 yuan, which is about 43,976 yuan more than the bottom line.