Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi

The document examines how residents of Karachi define 'middleclassness' and the factors contributing to upward social mobility. Based on a 2023 survey of 508 residents and 25 family interviews, it finds that middle-class identity is strongly associated with private education and motorbike ownership. While most current residents were born in Karachi, generational data reveals a high history of in-migration, including rural-to-urban movement and migration following the 1947 Partition. The findings suggest that becoming middle class is perceived as a difficult struggle requiring the mobilization of multiple factors, including education, hard work, and remittances from family abroad.

• Residents of Karachi associate middle-class status with specific consumption and lifestyle markers, most notably the use of motorbikes and the enrollment of children in private schools. Over 80% of survey respondents view motorbike ownership as typical of the middle class, and more than 75% associate it with sending children to private schools.
• Air conditioning is not widely perceived as a primary marker of middle-class status, with only 20% of respondents agreeing it is such a marker. This is attributed to the high cost of electricity for lower middle-class households and the prevalence of cheaper alternatives like ceiling fans and air coolers.
• Becoming middle class is viewed as an extremely challenging process with no single path to success. Respondents believe it requires a combination of factors, including salaried jobs, education, connections, hard work, and business ownership.
• International migration and remittances are perceived as critical tools for achieving middle-class status, reflecting the difficulty of upward mobility within the city. More than half of the survey respondents identify having family members abroad and receiving remittances as key to becoming middle class.
• There is significant internal stratification within the Karachi middle class. Some residents distinguish between the 'lower middle class', who typically rent and hold jobs, and the 'middle-middle' class, who generally own their homes and have secure property.
• Generational data indicates that Karachi is a major destination city with a strong history of in-migration. While 75% of current respondents were born in Karachi, only 33% of their parents and 15% of their grandparents were born there, highlighting the impact of rural-to-urban migration and the 1947 Partition.
• Karachi remains a strong destination city with low expected outward migration. Approximately 85% of survey respondents do not expect to move out of the city within the next five years.

APA

Erdal, M. B., Abraham, A., Falch, A. R., & Liao, K. (2024). Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2bf75083-866d-4c03-a67b-f50d774d9e54/Middle Classes Moving and Staying in Karachi PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Erdal, Marta Bivand, Anu Abraham, Anna Røer Falch, and Karen Liao. Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2bf75083-866d-4c03-a67b-f50d774d9e54/Middle Classes Moving and Staying in Karachi PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Erdal |first1=Marta Bivand |last2=Abraham |first2=Anu |last3=Falch |first3=Anna Røer |last4=Liao |first4=Karen |title=Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2bf75083-866d-4c03-a67b-f50d774d9e54/Middle Classes Moving and Staying in Karachi PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{erdal2024middle, author = {Erdal, Marta Bivand and Abraham, Anu and Falch, Anna Røer and Liao, Karen}, title = {{Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2bf75083-866d-4c03-a67b-f50d774d9e54/Middle Classes Moving and Staying in Karachi PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }