In the opinion of some economists and sociologists, up to 30 percent of Russians are middle class. Using this definition, the typical representative of the middle class in Russia has more in common in his or her material circumstances with the underprivileged classes of society than with the elite, which can buy real estate abroad, vacation in luxury foreign resorts and dress in designer clothes. However, it is actually difficult to measure the real income of the middle class in Russia, since expenditures on food, utilities, consumer goods and leisure exceed stated income. Annual sociological surveys conducted in various regions of Russia show that the turnover of consumer goods on average exceeds the purchasing power of the population by 50 to 100 percent. The social situation of a typical member of the middle class is far from stable.
Many entrepreneurs go bankrupt, and the qualified professionals have no guaranteed employment.
Small and medium level businesses mostly operate in a way far removed from that of enterprises in the civilized world. Bribery of officials, tax dodging, and cooperation with criminal structures are widespread. It is largely thanks to the group of highly qualified professionals, more than half of whom are women, that the middle class in Russia is the fastest growing layer of society. It is worth noting that the income of people with equal qualifications and experience can vary widely, depending on whether they work in the state or private sector. For example, a highly qualified doctor working in a private clinic can be considered amongst the well paid, whereas his or her colleague with the same, or even higher, professional qualifications, but working in a state hospital or clinic, is among the underprivileged.