Half of Batswana are middle class - AfDB :: Mmegi Online

Spurred on by robust economic growth over the past two decades, just under half of the Botswana population is considered to be in the middle class. However, a significant proportion is still vulnerable to economic shocks and can easily slip back into the low-income class, the African Development Bank (AfDB) says in a report released this week.

According to the report, 47 percent of Batswana are considered to be in the middle class, although only 29 percent is in the stable category (non-floating) and are therefore not susceptible to falling back into poverty in the event of exogenous shocks. The study titled; The Middle of the Pyramid: Dynamics of the Middle Class in Africa dissects the African middle class into three categories.

The lowest class (floating class) has per capita consumption levels of between P13.6 and P27.2 ($2 to $4) per day. Individuals at this level are only slightly above the developing world's poverty line of $2 per person per day.According to the report, about 18 percent of Batswana fall into this category, which translates into about 360,000 people.

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