There is a discussion about the definition of upper class in Mexico. These are some of the most current calculations.
The upper class according to the Inegi
The most recent INEGI classification estimates that the upper class in the country has an average monthly income of 77,975 pesos.
Upper class, according to Evalua CDMX
However, if income by deciles is taken into account, there are also levels within the upper class itself. According to adjusted data from Evalua CDMX, decile X brings together 10% of the population with the highest income. Within this decile there is a great disparity in income and 1% of the richest population in the country receives income of more than 112,795 pesos per month.
Upper class according to the World Inequality Report
Another source may be the World Inequality Report 2022, which estimates that the average income of the upper class (Top 10%) is 1.3 million pesos per year. The Top 1% receive more than 6 million pesos per year, that is, more than half a million pesos per month.
What does the upper class spend their money on?
While the poorest of the Mexican population spend 42 out of every 100 pesos of their income on food, the richest in the country only 13.9 pesos out of every 100 that they earn, according to a report that analyzed the impacts of inflation in the world, from the International Labor Organization.
On the contrary, while the richest Top 10% in Mexico spends 11.7% of their income in restaurants and hotels, the poorest decile only spends 4.8% of their money on these services. The rich also spend a larger share of their income than the poor on transportation, education, communications, and other kinds of goods and services.
To illustrate the gap that exists between the level of consumption of the upper class and the lower class in Mexico, some data can be cited:
Telecommunications consumption
The poorest 10% of the population consume 300 pesos a month in fixed telecommunications services, while the 1% consume 650 pesos a month in this type of service.
The difference is that, for the poor, said consumption represents 8.8% of their income, while, in the case of the richest, this consumption represents only 1.2% of theirs, according to a report by the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).
Hours spent on television consumption
Nielsen, a company specialized in radio and television metrics in Mexico, classifies the audience into four socioeconomic levels.
In a study carried out in 2018, it is estimated that the highest income segment spends around 4 hours and 52 minutes watching television. In contrast, the poorest households spend 5 hours and 26 minutes.
What does the upper class do?
The majority of upper-class households that have wage earners work in corporations, companies, or private businesses (41.8%), 22.7% work in the government, and 7.9% work in some independent, personal, or family business.
Finally, the upper-upper class is made up of big businessmen, some even appear on the lists of the world’s richest.
Source: Expansion
