According to the World Data Lab, Africa's middle class is at risk because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to one economist from the Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered Bank, a middle-class person is someone who is not rich but does have a steady income. In Africa, about 170 million people are middle class and about 8 million of them could lose their businesses or become poor because of COVID-19. This is because one of the industries that has helped Africa's middle class rise over the past 30 years is tourism, and many countries closed borders and encouraged people not to travel. Experts say this is especially bad because a strong middle class lifts the whole country.