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What percentage of Cambodia can be deemed as middle class by local standards now?

Is it as high as 40% yet?

Maybe 25% are plausibly "middle class" and 10% to 15% still really direly poor - but who defines these things?

"Maybe 25% are plausibly "middle class" and 10% to 15% still really direly poor - but who defines these things

Yes who does. Not only is there the question of hidden agendas bit also the issue of unreported income, primarily illegal but also legal. For example look at the reported income of the Prime Minister.

Is it safe to assume that if someone in the village has a new walled in base to their house and a Honda Dream or other bike around $2000, that they could be deemed middle-class by Cambodian standards? How many houses in your village are like this now?

Don't you think that any money made - both illegal and legal - would be on display?

Very difficult to gauge. Phnom Penh is quite different from the countryside in terms of what can be called middle-class. However, a lot of people in the countryside are doing quite well.

Everywhere you look, there's a newly-delivered pile of sand and a truckload of bricks; the vast majority of people are getting better-off or - at worse - are
getting no poorer.

This disguises the areas of poverty. If you take the direct road from Siem Reap to Tbaeng Meanchey a.k.a. Preah Vihear City, you pass through an area of
conspicuous rural poverty - houses are shoeboxes on short legs with no electric wires or blue plastic piping visible. Bicycles rather than gleaming Hondas
and Suzukis are the norm.

boozyoldman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2017 6:10 am Everywhere you look, there's a newly-delivered pile of sand and a truckload of bricks; the vast majority of people are getting better-off or - at worse - are
getting no poorer.

This disguises the areas of poverty. If you take the direct road from Siem Reap to Tbaeng Meanchey a.k.a. Preah Vihear City, you pass through an area of
conspicuous rural poverty - houses are shoeboxes on short legs with no electric wires or blue plastic piping visible. Bicycles rather than gleaming Hondas
and Suzukis are the norm.

Judging by my ex-staff, a lot of these new house, motorbikes, and flash phones are paid on credit. Yes, there is a middle class, but I do not believe it is even close to 25% countrywide.

"but I do not believe it is even close to 25% countrywide."
The above quote is more reasonable. If all the above optimistic guesstimates were spot on how would you explain the ever increasing exodus of rural folk overseas where they scrimp and do without in order to send a welcome pittance home? Or get jobs in clothing factories or service industry that don't pay a living wage. You don't have to leave Phnom Penh to find rural poverty. Also, it is not all just off the main highways; try some of the back roads.

Also, it is not all just off the main highways; try some of the back roads.

This. Running all over the place makes me realize that you do not have to go far from Pub Street/River road/240 Street to see some very poor folks....

hanno wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2017 6:19 am Judging by my ex-staff, a lot of these new house, motorbikes, and flash phones are paid on credit. Yes, there is a middle class, but I do not believe it is even close to 25% countrywide.

I think the difference between, what looks to the casual observer as being middle class, and pretty much poverty is a very fine line. I would imagine all it would take were a loss of employment, serious illness etc within the family, to pretty much destroy all that they feel they have accomplished. The banks would also foreclose on their land when this happened, so they would have been more sensible to have saved any money than used bank loans etc .
Mind you, I think those house conversions are pretty sensible as far as theft, mosquitoes and rain are concerned.

I think you are right in presuming it is not even close to 25% yet - judging on the stats from the Cambodia's Curse book. I do think there must have been a shift from the majority living in absolute poverty towards to middle ground of being almost in absolute poverty though.
Let's not forget that a lot of people are struggling to eat prahok and meat though. The prices of commodities are pretty much through the roof and still leave around a third of all children here malnourished and stunted.

Still, my young landlord says his mum was saying that she has never known a time where she has been so well off here. That's even in Sihanouk's time. She does live in Siem Riep province though, and is of course Sino-Khmer.