Diversity in the Demographic Characteristics of the Middle Classes in Selected Central Eastern European Countries

Joanna Muszyńska – Ewa Wędrowska – Małgorzata Szczepaniak
Demografie, 67(4): 211–229
https://doi.org/10.54694/dem.0368

Abstract
This study analyses demographic diversity in the middle-income class in six Central and Eastern European countries – Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Estonia – in 2005 and 2021. Using EU-SILC microdata and the concept of economic stratification based on equivalised household disposable income, the analysis distinguishes lower, core, and upper middle-income groups. The main objectives are: (1) to examine how the size of middle-income classes has changed over time; (2) to assess differences in their demographic composition, particularly with regard to age, birth cohorts, and household type; and (3) to identify which cohorts experienced the greatest upward mobility on the income ladder. The results show that the middle class generally expanded, its income situation improved, and younger cohorts progressed the most. Households with children advanced economically, while single-person and elderly households remained vulnerable. Demographic shifts underline the evolving structure and economic relevance of the middle class in post-communist societies.

Keywords
middle class, demographic diversity, income stratification, Central and Eastern Europe, EU-SILC