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Economy

The new middle class

Over the past 15 years more than a billion people have escaped poverty. DW looks at the role the growing middle class plays around the world - and how it can contribute to political and societal change.

Interview

Are we succeeding in the fight against poverty?

A middle class has started to establish itself in recent years in many emerging and developing countries. But the successes achieved in the fight against poverty have brought about new challenges. (25.12.2012) 

Americas

Colombia's middle class powered by loans

Colombia's economy has improved over the past two decades, but the new middle class has only profited to a limited extent. Their social and economic situation is insecure. (31.01.2013) 

The USA's hollowing middle class

For decades, the US middle class could count on a good and improving standard of living. But the financial crisis has laid bare shifts in America's foundation, which suggest the middle class is being squeezed out. (19.01.2013) 

Chile's middle class survives on shaky ground

Chile's middle class is in better shape than it has been in decades. But in the Latin American country often praised for the economic strides it has made, the cost of prosperity is high, experts warn. (17.01.2013) 

Rising affluence in Brazil's favelas

Under Brazil's former president Lula da Silva, 30 million people managed to escape poverty and join the ranks of the country's new middle class. Inequality, however, has not disappeared. (26.12.2012) 

Europe

Uncertainty for southeast Europe's middle class

The gap between rich and poor is widening in countries in southeast Europe, where the middle classes are threatened by social decline. (24.01.2013) 

Greece's middle class feels the pain

Shops in Greece are folding by the day. Many Greeks are unemployed, while others work for half the pay and those who can, leave the country. The economic crisis is draining its middle class financially. (23.01.2013) 

The shrinking middle class

The middle class is the backbone of society. The Greek philosopher Aristotle recognized this more than 2,300 years ago. But, a new study warns that the middle class in Germany is shrinking. (16.12.2012) 

Has Russia's protest movement lost its steam?

One year after allegations of vote-rigging triggered mass protests in Russia, there are considerably fewer people today who support the opposition. And still, not all observers believe that the movement has failed. (03.12.2012) 

Asia

Stability counts for China's middle class

China's Communist Party aims at strengthening the middle class to maintain stability in the country. But contrary to what many in the West might take this to mean, a turn towards democracy is not likely. (17.01.2013) 

Vegetarians developing a taste for meat

The fast-growing Indian middle class now consists of around 300 million people, who model their new consumer lifestyle on the West. As a result, vegetarianism is falling out of favor. (02.01.2013) 

Vietnam's fragile middle class

A new middle class emerged for the first time in Vietnam in the 1990s. It has won a few freedoms, but remains fragile. Now, the global economic crisis threatens to undo the achievements. (17.12.2012) 

Middle East and Africa

Lebanon's middle class steadily shrinking

Lebanon was once known as the Switzerland of the Orient. But that was a long time ago. Today, many Lebanese are struggling to survive in an increasingly difficult economic environment. (07.01.2013) 

Africa's middle class prospers, but at a price

In Ghana, the middle class is growing fast. It's a trend typical across the whole continent. But, there are rising concerns about the impact of the development and whether certain parts of society are being left behind. (02.01.2013) 

WWW Links

Impoverishment of the Egyptian middle class (Qantara.de)

The middle class forms the core of the pro-democratic movement in Egypt. But the economic downturn and the country's uncertain political future are threatening its existence. (29.01.2013) 

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