World Data Lab launches The New Global Consumer: one billion additional middle-class consumers expected by 2035

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World Data Lab launches The New Global Consumer: one billion additional middle-class consumers expected by 2035

Washington, D.C. 24 April 2025 World Data Lab today released The New Global Consumer, a briefing that traces the continued expansion of the global middle class and examines the implications for demand over the coming decade. The analysis, co-presented at the 2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit by Dr Wolfgang Fengler, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of World Data Lab, and Michelle Meyer, Head and Chief Economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute projects that the middle-class population will rise from 4.1 billion today to just over 5 billion by 2035. 

Key findings

• Pace of growth: Roughly one billion people have joined the middle class every nine years since 2006, a trend that appears resilient despite recent economic shocks.​​
  
  
• Geographic concentration: Cities such as Jakarta, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are on course to rank among the world’s largest middle-class centres by 2035, highlighting Southeast Asia’s importance to future consumer demand.​​
  
  
• Generational shifts: Generation Z is already the largest cohort by headcount, while Generation X will account for the greatest share of spending until 2030; in many markets Millennials are projected to overtake Generation X thereafter.​​

Dr Wolfgang Fengler, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Data Lab, said:
“Understanding where new consumers live, and how their preferences differ by generation, helps businesses and policymakers align products and services with evolving demand. These findings can support strategies that promote broad-based, inclusive growth.”

The accompanying slide deck are available here https://marketing.worlddatalab.com/the-new-global-consumer

About World Data Lab

World Data Lab is an independent data enterprise that translates demographic and income statistics into forward-looking intelligence. Through tools such as World Data Pro and the World Poverty Clock, the organisation provides real-time, granular forecasts to inform policy, investment and social impact. World Data Lab works to ensure that everyone counts by turning numbers into insight.

Media contact
Anne Mason anne.mason@worlddatalab.com