What income is middle class? Ranges for 77 countries
On the OECD definition, a middle income per adult runs from $40,100 to $107,000 in the US and $36,600 to $97,700 in the UK. Every country compared.
Short answer: the most common definition, used by the OECD, counts an income as middle income if it is between 75% and 200% of the national median. Applied to pre-tax income per adult, that gives a middle-income range of roughly:
- United States: $40,100–$107,000 a year (38% of adults fall inside it)
- United Kingdom: $36,600–$97,700 (53%)
- Canada: $34,600–$92,300 (44%)
- Australia: $45,000–$120,000 (43%)
- Germany: $32,900–$87,900 (49%)
- The world as a whole: $3,150–$8,390 (19%)
Above the range you are, by this definition, upper income; below it, lower income. The figures for all 77 countries are in the table below.
Two definitions, one idea
There is no official definition of “middle class”, but two are widely used, and both are relative to the median: the income of the person in the exact middle.
- OECD: 75% to 200% of the national median household income, adjusted for household size.
- Pew Research Center (US): two-thirds to double the national median household income, also adjusted for household size.
Both use household income. A two-earner couple pools its income, which pulls many individuals into the middle. Our figures are per adult, with couples’ income split equally, and before tax, so a smaller share of adults lands inside the band than in household statistics. Pew, for example, finds about half of American adults in middle-income households, against 38% of adults on our per-adult measure. The calculator shows exactly where your own income sits.
Middle-income ranges in 77 countries
| # | Country | Middle-income band | Below the band | Adults in the band | Above the band | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | $71,500–$191,000 | 28% | 63% | 8.5% | $95,300 |
| 2 | Czechia | $22,500–$60,100 | 33% | 61% | 6.4% | $30,100 |
| 3 | Sweden | $47,500–$127,000 | 33% | 59% | 8% | $63,300 |
| 4 | Hungary | $16,500–$44,000 | 32% | 59% | 8.8% | $22,000 |
| 5 | Norway | $76,200–$203,000 | 30% | 58% | 12% | $102,000 |
| 6 | Austria | $38,800–$103,000 | 31% | 58% | 11% | $51,700 |
| 7 | Slovakia | $19,400–$51,700 | 34% | 58% | 8.2% | $25,800 |
| 8 | Switzerland | $68,000–$181,000 | 33% | 56% | 11% | $90,600 |
| 9 | Finland | $34,800–$92,900 | 32% | 56% | 12% | $46,500 |
| 10 | Greece | $17,200–$45,900 | 33% | 54% | 12% | $22,900 |
| 11 | Italy | $25,600–$68,300 | 34% | 54% | 12% | $34,200 |
| 12 | Slovenia | $22,600–$60,300 | 33% | 53% | 14% | $30,200 |
| 13 | United Kingdom | $36,600–$97,700 | 32% | 53% | 14% | $48,900 |
| 14 | Spain | $23,900–$63,900 | 36% | 53% | 11% | $31,900 |
| 15 | Japan | $18,600–$49,500 | 38% | 53% | 9.1% | $24,700 |
| 16 | Russia | $8,320–$22,200 | 32% | 53% | 15% | $11,100 |
| 17 | Egypt | $2,180–$5,810 | 30% | 53% | 18% | $2,910 |
| 18 | Algeria | $3,660–$9,770 | 32% | 52% | 15% | $4,890 |
| 19 | India | $1,110–$2,960 | 31% | 52% | 17% | $1,480 |
| 20 | New Zealand | $32,200–$85,900 | 37% | 52% | 11% | $43,000 |
| 21 | Denmark | $50,400–$134,000 | 36% | 52% | 12% | $67,200 |
| 22 | Iran | $3,130–$8,330 | 32% | 52% | 16% | $4,170 |
| 23 | Portugal | $17,800–$47,600 | 33% | 52% | 16% | $23,800 |
| 24 | Cyprus | $17,100–$45,700 | 32% | 51% | 17% | $22,800 |
| 25 | Ireland | $52,400–$140,000 | 33% | 51% | 16% | $69,800 |
| 26 | Poland | $14,700–$39,300 | 35% | 50% | 14% | $19,700 |
| 27 | Singapore | $51,500–$137,000 | 33% | 50% | 17% | $68,600 |
| 28 | Netherlands | $44,600–$119,000 | 34% | 50% | 16% | $59,400 |
| 29 | Luxembourg | $146,000–$390,000 | 39% | 50% | 11% | $195,000 |
| 30 | Germany | $32,900–$87,900 | 35% | 49% | 16% | $43,900 |
| 31 | France | $31,600–$84,200 | 37% | 49% | 14% | $42,100 |
| 32 | Lithuania | $14,200–$38,000 | 21% | 49% | 31% | $19,000 |
| 33 | Belgium | $36,100–$96,400 | 35% | 49% | 16% | $48,200 |
| 34 | Malta | $25,500–$67,900 | 34% | 48% | 18% | $33,900 |
| 35 | Pakistan | $1,340–$3,580 | 34% | 48% | 18% | $1,790 |
| 36 | Turkey | $6,340–$16,900 | 34% | 48% | 18% | $8,450 |
| 37 | Malaysia | $8,410–$22,400 | 34% | 48% | 18% | $11,200 |
| 38 | Croatia | $15,900–$42,500 | 37% | 48% | 16% | $21,200 |
| 39 | Morocco | $2,640–$7,050 | 34% | 48% | 19% | $3,520 |
| 40 | Bangladesh | $1,690–$4,520 | 34% | 47% | 19% | $2,260 |
| 41 | Niger | $663–$1,770 | 35% | 47% | 19% | $884 |
| 42 | Ethiopia | $777–$2,070 | 35% | 46% | 18% | $1,040 |
| 43 | South Korea | $18,900–$50,500 | 37% | 45% | 18% | $25,300 |
| 44 | Bulgaria | $8,870–$23,700 | 36% | 45% | 19% | $11,800 |
| 45 | Nepal | $1,050–$2,800 | 36% | 44% | 20% | $1,400 |
| 46 | Rwanda | $689–$1,840 | 36% | 44% | 20% | $918 |
| 47 | Canada | $34,600–$92,300 | 38% | 44% | 18% | $46,200 |
| 48 | Nigeria | $995–$2,650 | 36% | 43% | 20% | $1,330 |
| 49 | Senegal | $1,550–$4,130 | 36% | 43% | 21% | $2,070 |
| 50 | Côte d’Ivoire | $2,390–$6,380 | 36% | 43% | 21% | $3,190 |
| 51 | Australia | $45,000–$120,000 | 40% | 43% | 17% | $60,000 |
| 52 | Estonia | $17,200–$46,000 | 39% | 42% | 18% | $23,000 |
| 53 | Uruguay | $12,500–$33,500 | 37% | 42% | 21% | $16,700 |
| 54 | Latvia | $12,800–$34,000 | 38% | 42% | 20% | $17,000 |
| 55 | Kenya | $1,530–$4,090 | 36% | 42% | 23% | $2,040 |
| 56 | Romania | $10,800–$28,900 | 37% | 41% | 22% | $14,500 |
| 57 | United Arab Emirates | $25,200–$67,200 | 42% | 41% | 17% | $33,600 |
| 58 | Tanzania | $770–$2,050 | 37% | 41% | 22% | $1,030 |
| 59 | Brazil | $4,340–$11,600 | 37% | 41% | 23% | $5,790 |
| 60 | Hong Kong | $27,300–$72,900 | 37% | 40% | 22% | $36,500 |
| 61 | Cambodia | $1,640–$4,360 | 36% | 40% | 23% | $2,180 |
| 62 | Uganda | $862–$2,300 | 37% | 40% | 22% | $1,150 |
| 63 | Peru | $4,070–$10,900 | 39% | 40% | 21% | $5,430 |
| 64 | Philippines | $2,280–$6,080 | 37% | 40% | 23% | $3,040 |
| 65 | China | $7,290–$19,400 | 41% | 40% | 20% | $9,720 |
| 66 | Vietnam | $2,410–$6,430 | 37% | 40% | 23% | $3,220 |
| 67 | United States | $40,100–$107,000 | 39% | 38% | 23% | $53,500 |
| 68 | Ghana | $2,380–$6,350 | 39% | 37% | 24% | $3,180 |
| 69 | Taiwan | $18,100–$48,300 | 41% | 36% | 23% | $24,100 |
| 70 | Chile | $5,570–$14,800 | 40% | 36% | 24% | $7,420 |
| 71 | Argentina | $7,840–$20,900 | 40% | 35% | 25% | $10,500 |
| 72 | Thailand | $2,690–$7,160 | 39% | 34% | 26% | $3,580 |
| 73 | Indonesia | $2,190–$5,850 | 39% | 34% | 27% | $2,930 |
| 74 | Costa Rica | $8,220–$21,900 | 41% | 34% | 25% | $11,000 |
| 75 | Mexico | $4,970–$13,300 | 40% | 32% | 28% | $6,630 |
| 76 | Colombia | $2,500–$6,660 | 41% | 32% | 27% | $3,330 |
| 77 | South Africa | $1,660–$4,410 | 41% | 27% | 32% | $2,210 |
| World | $3,150–$8,390 | 44% | 19% | 37% | $4,190 |
Click a column to sort. US dollars at ECB rates of 2026-10-09; per adult (20+).
Sorted by the share of adults inside the middle band. Pre-tax income per adult (20+), including wages, pensions and capital income; US dollars at ECB rates of 2026-10-09. Source: WealthPercentile model based on the World Inequality Database.
Where the middle is biggest, and where it is squeezed
The biggest middle: Iceland (63%), Czechia (61%), Sweden (59%), Hungary (59%), Norway (58%) and Austria (58%). These countries combine compressed wage structures with relatively small top income shares.
The smallest middle: South Africa (27%), Colombia (32%), Mexico (32%) and Costa Rica (34%). Here many adults are below the band and an unusually large group is above it: in South Africa 32% of adults have more than twice the median income, but the median itself is low ($2,210).
The United States has a relatively small middle on this measure: 38% of adults are inside the band, 23% above it and 39% below it. In the United Kingdom the middle is 53%, in Germany 49%.
Middle class in the world
Against all adults on the planet, the middle-income range is only $3,150–$8,390 a year, because the world median income is $4,190. Just 19% of the world’s adults fall inside it. Almost everyone in a rich country is “upper income” by global standards: anything above $8,390 a year puts you above the global middle, and $40,800 puts you in the global top 10% (top 10% by country).
Is middle class about income only?
Income is the usual yardstick, but many people think of class in terms of security: owning a home, having savings, being able to handle a surprise bill. That is closer to wealth. You can check both in the calculator, and compare the typical adult’s net worth across countries in median net worth by country.
Frequently asked questions
What income is middle class in the US?
On the OECD definition applied to pre-tax income per adult, about $40,100–$107,000 a year. Household-based definitions give higher dollar amounts for a family, because they add up the incomes of everyone in the household.
What is upper-middle class income?
There is no standard line. One practical way to think of it is the group just above the middle band but below the top 5%: in the US, roughly $107,000 to $256,000 a year per adult (US details).
Is $100,000 a middle-class income?
In the United States, $100,000 is near the top of the middle-income band and in the top 26% of adults on this measure. See is $100,000 a good income in the US?