China’s New Consumers Class

The Chinese consumer market has seen enormous growth—and only 11% of the population has reached the middle class. As their ranks swell, so will their effect on the global economy.

There will be huge opportunities for the entertainment, food service, technology and other industries.

But to take advantage of them, businesses will need to understand China’s Urban Mass and Urban Middle, and align pricing, offerings and other practices to the groups’ specific needs.

Across Asia, rising incomes are creating an enormous new class of consumers. Much of that growth is coming from China, whose working population is larger than those of the US and Europe combined. As more Chinese consumers gain purchasing power, their needs and preferences will have a powerful effect on the global economy.



The “average Chinese consumer” does not exist. China’s consumers can be divided into four tiers. Future growth will come from two key groups—the white-collar “Urban Middle”, and the blue-collar “Urban Mass”.

Source: China NBS, CNPolitics, Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research.