The rise of The New Middle Class

This summer BBC World News and BBC World Service Radio meet The New Middle Class with a season of short films and debates exploring life for people in the developing economies as they discover their new economic power.

As the global balance of economic power shifts, people in all corners of the globe are moving away from poverty and life in rural communities, heading to cities and becoming consumers with new expectations, ambitions and political demands. For the season, members of the New Middle Class from China to Brazil, India to Kenya will be sharing their thoughts and experiences as the experts explore the forces behind this demographic change and how it will impact all aspects of our world.

Starting Wednesday 19 June, programmes across BBC Global News will be asking if the new middle class is the new global power, and how influential they really are. As well as looking at what defines and interests this emerging group.

The season will also be interactive with social media playing a large part. The BBC’s 239 million viewers and listeners around the world will be encouraged to share their experiences and thoughts on what being middle class means to them. As well as running through individual programmes, their input will then help create a film for broadcast as part of the season finale.

The New Middle Class will be fronted by leading economist and BBC Chief Business Correspondent, Linda Yueh. It will include special editions of BBC World News and BBC World Service programmes World Have Your Say, Business Matters and Business Daily as well as dedicated online coverage at bbc.Com with bbc.com/newmiddleclass set to go live at season launch.

BBC World Service’s global debate programme, BBC Africa Debate, will go to Lagos, Nigeria to look at who in Africa is benefitting from the recent economic boom and to Accra, Ghana, to ask if Africa’s middle class can drive the continent’s growth.

Short TV documentaries by BBC correspondents around the globe will run across BBC World News bulletins exploring different aspects of the New Middle Class including how blue chip companies are moving into Brazil’s slums, China’s young new urbanites and the rise of credit, and how Kenya is embracing the festival scene.

And finally, Linda will present a special 30-minute programme from China on BBC World News and the UK BBC News Channel wrapping up the season on 3 August.

The New Middle Class season starts on Wednesday 19 June on BBC World Service, BBC World News and bbc.com/news and will continue throughout June and July.