Struggling to Survive: A Comprehensive Analysis of Lower Middle-Income Livelihood in Dhaka

This study examines the living conditions and socioeconomic vulnerabilities of lower-middle-income families in Dhaka, Bangladesh, based on a housing survey conducted by students from Southeast University among 258 households. Among the respondents, 34.5% (89 families) earn less than 50,000 BDT per month, positioning them above extreme poverty but below secure middle-class status. This group represents an economically fragile segment of the urban population, highly exposed to financial instability. The findings reveal interconnected structural challenges. Approximately 73% of lower-middle-income households are renters, limiting housing security and long-term asset accumulation. Families depend on an average of 1.34 earning members, increasing vulnerability to income shocks. With average monthly expenditures of 36,181 BDT, most earnings are absorbed by essential costs, leaving minimal savings for emergencies. Nevertheless, these households demonstrate resilience by maintaining children's education (averaging 0.74 school-age children per household), preserving predominantly nuclear family structures (91%), and sustaining an average residential tenure of 10 years. Using a multidimensional poverty framework, the study compares income groups across housing tenure, employment patterns, debt exposure, and living space. Homeownership rises sharply with income (24% to 67%), while living space expands from 747 to over 1,200 square feet. Informal employment, limited female labour participation, and 27% debt prevalence underscore ongoing precarity. The research highlights the urban working poor as a critical yet underexplored demographic and recommends affordable housing, employment diversification, financial inclusion, and strengthened social protection to support sustainable upward mobility.