Peru's new middle class is made up of about nine million people who live on an average income of 1,850 soles (US$ 663) per month, according to a recent study by consulting firm Arellano Marketing.
The survey, conducted in fourteen Peruvian cities, found that the middle class in general accounts for 57 percent of the population, with 39 percent of this group forming the new middle class and 18 percent, the traditional one.
Rolando Arellano, general manager of Arellano Marketing, said that the new middle class is a group influenced by migration processes with different economic interests and consumption habits than the traditional middle class.
He explained that this new middle class are "people who have not inherited a home in the big cities because their families hail from a different place" and said they mostly opt for a technical career rather than a university degree.
In terms of income per capita, the study showed that a person in the new middle class makes 1,850 soles (US$ 663) a month, compared to the 2,070 soles (US$ 741.9) of a traditional middle class Peruvian.
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