FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
More than 1.1 billion people will join the global middle class over the next decade
New York, USA and Vienna, Austria June 18, 2025 -- The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (the Center) and World Data Lab (WDL) are deepening their partnership to unlock new data-driven insights that empower the 1.1 billion people on their journey into the global middle class over the next ten years.
By harnessing World Data Lab’s predictive modeling across more than 180 economies, the collaboration will shed light on patterns of upward mobility, tracking where progress is happening and where gaps remain with the emerging global middle class. These insights will focus on employment trends, consumer potential, and the role of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in driving inclusive growth.
“World Data Lab has been a tremendous partner in helping us identify where inclusive growth is needed most, and where it can have the greatest impact,” said Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. “As more than 1.1 billion people move into the global middle class in the next decade, especially across emerging markets in Asia, we see a generational opportunity to shape the future of economic mobility. By combining Mastercard’s global network with World Data Lab’s powerful data and insights, we can unlock new pathways for opportunity and create more growth around the world.”
For more than the past decade, the Center has focused on driving financial inclusion and health around the world, ensuring that those who are joining the digital economy have access and support to enable financial resilience and usage. With more than 1.1 billion people predicted to join the global middle class, there will be a consumption shift that extends beyond basic needs to economic opportunity and social connection.
“The growth of the global middle class is one of the most under appreciated mega trends of our time,” said Wolfgang Fengler, CEO of World Data Lab. “We are delighted to work with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to support the next billion people that are moving to the global middle class, helping them move towards economic growth and resilience.”
This expanded partnership continues to deepen the Center’s expertise and leverages WDL's robust data analytics and visualization to better understand the emerging global middle class.
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Media Contact: Anne Mason, Senior Communications and Marketing Manager, World Data Lab
anne.mason@worlddatalab.com
Media Contact: Jessica Jeng-Mitchell, Director, Global Communications, Mastercard, jessica.jeng-mitchell@mastercard.com
About the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise, and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs, and empower a community of thinkers, leaders, and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the Center on LinkedIn, Instagram and subscribe to its newsletter.
About World Data Lab
World Data Lab is a leading data enterprise that builds cutting-edge tools to track and forecast global economic and demographic trends. Our innovative SDG Projects leverage advanced data modeling to monitor progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), helping governments, organizations, and individuals drive measurable impact. Through our platform, World Data Pro, we provide state-of-the-art forecasts on consumer behavior, category spending, demographic shifts, and city-level trends. Our data is trusted by some of the world’s most prominent businesses and institutions to guide strategic decision-making. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter