ARCHIVE // EG // 2016
Egypt
2016 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Broadcast media
[time series]
mix of state-run and private broadcast media; state-run TV operates 2 national and 6 regional terrestrial networks, as well as a few satellite channels; about 20 private satellite channels and a large number of Arabic satellite channels are available via subscription; state-run radio operates about 70 stations belonging to 8 networks; 2 privately owned radio stations operational (2008)
Internet country code
[time series]
.eg
Internet users
[time series]
total: 31.767 million | percent of population: 35.9% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15
Telecommunication systems
(Telephone system)
[time series]
general assessment: Telecom Egypt remains largely state owned; principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay | domestic: largest fixed-line system in Africa and the Arab region; multiple mobile-cellular networks with a near 100-percent penetration of the market | international: country code - 20; landing point for Aletar, the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks, Link Around the Globe (FLAG) Falcon and FLAG FEA; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel (2015)
Telephones - fixed lines
[time series]
total subscriptions: 6,235,133 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
total: 94.016 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17
Economy
Agricultural products
(Agriculture - products)
[time series]
cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
Budget
[time series]
revenues: $69.02 billion | expenditures: $107.7 billion (2015 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
[time series]
-11.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 204
Central bank discount rate
[time series]
9.75% (30 October 2014) | 8.75% (5 December 2013) | country comparison to the world: 26
Commercial bank prime lending rate
[time series]
11.63% (31 December 2015 est.) | 11.71% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69
Current account balance
[time series]
-$12.18 billion (2015 est.) | -$2.356 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180
Debt - external
[time series]
$44.61 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $39.62 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
(Distribution of family income - Gini index)
[time series]
30.8 (2008) | 32.1 (2005) | country comparison to the world: 116
Economic overview
(Economy - overview)
[time series]
Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. Egypt's economy was highly centralized during the rule of former President Gamal Abdel NASSER but opened up considerably under former Presidents Anwar EL-SADAT and Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK. | Cairo from 2004 to 2008 pursued business climate reforms to attract foreign investment and facilitate growth. Poor living conditions and limited job opportunities for the average Egyptian contribute to public discontent, a major factor leading to the January 2011 revolution that ousted MUBARAK. The uncertain political, security, and policy environment since 2011 caused economic growth to slow significantly, hurting tourism, manufacturing, and other sectors and pushing up unemployment. | Weak growth and limited foreign exchange earnings have made public finances unsustainable, leaving authorities dependent on expensive borrowing for deficit finance and on Gulf allies to help cover the import bill. In 2015, higher levels of foreign investment contributed to a slight rebound in GDP growth after a particularly depressed post-revolution period.
Exchange rates
[time series]
Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar - | 7.7133 (2015 est.) | 7.08 (2014 est.) | 7.08 (2013 est.) | 6.06 (2012 est.) | 5.9358 (2011 est.)
Exports
[time series]
$19.03 billion (2015 est.) | $25.27 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70
Exports - commodities
[time series]
crude oil and petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals, processed food
Exports - partners
[time series]
Saudi Arabia 9.1%, Italy 7.5%, Turkey 5.8%, UAE 5.1%, US 5.1%, UK 4.4%, India 4.1% (2015)
Fiscal year
[time series]
1 July - 30 June
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$330.8 billion (2015 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
(GDP (purchasing power parity))
[time series]
$1.048 trillion (2015 est.) | $1.006 trillion (2014 est.) | $984 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 24
GDP - composition, by end use
[time series]
household consumption: 82.2% | government consumption: 11.8% | investment in fixed capital: 13.7% | investment in inventories: 0.6% | exports of goods and services: 13.2% | imports of goods and services: -21.6% (2015 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
[time series]
agriculture: 11.2% | industry: 36.3% | services: 52.5% (2015 est.)
Real GDP per capita
(GDP - per capita (PPP))
[time series]
$11,800 (2015 est.) | $11,600 (2014 est.) | $11,600 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 125
Real GDP growth rate
(GDP - real growth rate)
[time series]
4.2% (2015 est.) | 2.2% (2014 est.) | 2.1% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60
Gross national saving
[time series]
9.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | 11.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | 13% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 4% | highest 10%: 26.6% (2008)
Imports
[time series]
$57.17 billion (2015 est.) | $64.45 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47
Imports - commodities
[time series]
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels
Imports - partners
[time series]
China 13%, Germany 7.7%, US 5.9%, Turkey 4.5%, Russia 4.4%, Italy 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2015)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
0.8% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153
Industries
[time series]
textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
[time series]
10.4% (2015 est.) | 10.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 212
Labor force
[time series]
31.14 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 20
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 29.2% | industry: 23.5% | services: 47.3% (2013 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
[time series]
$73.04 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $58.01 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $48.68 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49
Population below poverty line
[time series]
25.2% (2011 est.)
Public debt
[time series]
90.2% of GDP (2015 est.) | 89.1% of GDP (2014 est.) | note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury, treasury debt held by foreign entities, debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions | country comparison to the world: 19
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$15.49 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $14.45 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65
Stock of broad money
[time series]
$245.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $224.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
[time series]
$7.362 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $6.839 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
[time series]
$89.65 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $84.39 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48
Stock of domestic credit
[time series]
$297.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $259.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38
Stock of narrow money
[time series]
$66.49 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $62.34 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44
Taxes and other revenues
[time series]
20.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152
Unemployment rate
[time series]
12.8% (2015 est.) | 13% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
(Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy)
[time series]
207 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29
Crude oil - exports
[time series]
193,400 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 31
Crude oil - imports
[time series]
59,600 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49
Crude oil - production
[time series]
511,600 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29
Crude oil - proved reserves
[time series]
4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity - consumption
[time series]
143 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity - exports
[time series]
500 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49
Electricity - from fossil fuels
[time series]
87.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
[time series]
9.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118
Electricity - from nuclear fuels
[time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83
Electricity - from other renewable sources
[time series]
2.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74
Electricity - imports
[time series]
81 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97
Electricity - installed generating capacity
[time series]
38 million kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32
Electricity - production
[time series]
162 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity access
[time series]
population without electricity: 300,000 | electrification - total population: 99.6% | electrification - urban areas: 100% | electrification - rural areas: 99.3% (2013)
Natural gas - consumption
[time series]
48.08 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 14
Natural gas - exports
[time series]
720 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32
Natural gas - imports
[time series]
2.832 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43
Natural gas - production
[time series]
48.8 billion cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17
Natural gas - proved reserves
[time series]
2.186 trillion cu m (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 17
Refined petroleum products - consumption
[time series]
797,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25
Refined petroleum products - exports
[time series]
45,500 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49
Refined petroleum products - imports
[time series]
215,600 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33
Refined petroleum products - production
[time series]
547,800 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 1,001,450 sq km | land: 995,450 sq km | water: 6,000 sq km | country comparison to the world: 30
Area - comparative
[time series]
more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Climate
[time series]
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Coastline
[time series]
2,450 km
Elevation
[time series]
mean elevation: 321 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m | highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Environment - current issues
[time series]
agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources
International environmental agreements
(Environment - international agreements)
[time series]
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
[time series]
27 00 N, 30 00 E
Geography - note
[time series]
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees from Sudan and the Palestinian territories
Irrigated land
[time series]
36,500 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 2,612 km | border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km, Israel 208 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,276 km
Land use
[time series]
agricultural land: 3.6% | arable land 2.8%; permanent crops 0.8%; permanent pasture 0% | forest: 0.1% | other: 96.3% (2011 est.)
Location
[time series]
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula
Map references
[time series]
Africa
Maritime claims
[time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus | continental shelf: 200 nm
Natural hazards
[time series]
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms
Natural resources
[time series]
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc
Population distribution
(Population - distribution)
[time series]
approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited
Terrain
[time series]
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Government
Administrative divisions
[time series]
27 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Uqsur (Luxor), Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina' (South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Suhaj
Capital
[time series]
name: Cairo | geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
[time series]
citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: if the father was born in Egypt | dual citizenship recognized: only with prior permission from the government | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Constitution
[time series]
several previous; latest approved by a constitutional committee in December 2013, approved by referendum held on 14-15 January 2014, ratified by interim president on 19 January 2014 (2016)
Country name
[time series]
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt | conventional short form: Egypt | local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah | local short form: Misr | former: United Arab Republic (with Syria) | etymology: the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos"; the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier
Diplomatic representation from the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador R. Stephen BEECROFT (since 18 December 2014) | embassy: 5 Tawfik Diab St., Garden City, Cairo | mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900; 5 Tawfik Diab Street, Garden City, Cairo | telephone: [20] (2) 2797-3300 | FAX: [20] (2) 2797-3200
Diplomatic representation in the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Yasser REDA (since 19 September 2015) | chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 | FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Executive branch
[time series]
Chief of state: President Abdelfattah Said ELSISI (since 8 June 2014) | head of government: Prime Minister Sherif ISMAIL (since 12 September 2015); note - Prime Minister Ibrahim MEHLAB resigned 12 September 2015 | cabinet: Cabinet sworn in 19 September 2015 | elections/appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26-28 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2018); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives | election results: Abdelfattah Said ELSISI elected president; percent of vote in 1 round - Abdelfattah Said ELSISI (independent) 96.6%, Hamdeen SABAHI (Egyptian Current Party) 3.4%
Flag
(Flag description)
[time series]
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white) | note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band
Government type
[time series]
presidential republic
Independence
[time series]
28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956); note - it was ca. 3200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically
International law organization participation
[time series]
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
[time series]
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CD, CICA, COMESA, D-8, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
[time series]
highest court(s): Supreme Constitutional Court or SCC (consists of the court president and 10 justices); the SCC serves as the final court of arbitrator on the constitutionality of laws and conflicts between lower courts regarding jurisdiction and rulings; Court of Cassation (CC) (consists of the court president and 550 judges organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the CC is the highest appeals body for civil and criminal cases, also known as “ordinary justices"; Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) - consists of the court president and organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the SAC is the highest court of the State Council | judge selection and term of office: under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected by the Supreme Judiciary Council and appointed by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)
Legal system
[time series]
mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court
Legislative branch
[time series]
description: unicameral House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nowaab); 596 seats; 448 members directly elected by individual candidacy system, 120 members - with quotas for women, youth, Christians and workers - elected in party-list constituencies by simple majority popular vote, and 28 members selected by the president; member term NA; note - inaugural session held on 10 January 2016 | elections: multi-phase election completed on 16 December 2015 (next election NA) | election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
National anthem(s)
(National anthem)
[time series]
name: "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" (My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland) | lyrics/music: Younis-al QADI/Sayed DARWISH | note: adopted 1979; the current anthem, less militaristic than the previous one, was created after the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel; Sayed DARWISH, commonly considered the father of modern Egyptian music, composed the anthem
National holiday
[time series]
Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)
National symbol(s)
[time series]
golden eagle, white lotus; national colors: red, white, black
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
officially recognized: Al-Dustour (Constitution) Party [Tamer GOMAA] | Al-Karama Party [Mohamed SAMY] | Al-Nour [Yunis MAKHYUN] | Al-Wasat Party [Mohamad Abdel LATIF] | Al-Watan [Imad Abd al-GHAFUR] | Building and Development Party or BDP [Yomna EL-HAMAKI] | Conference Party [Omar EL-MOKHTAR] | Congress Party [Omar Mokhtar SEMEIDA] | Egyptian National Movement Party [Ahmed SHAFIK] | Egyptian Social Democratic Party [Mervat TALAWAY] | El Tagamu'u Party [Sayed Abdel AAL] | Free Egyptians Party [Essam KHALIL] | Future of Homeland Party [Qadry ABU HUSSEIN] | Knights of Egypt Party [General Abdel Rafe DARWISH] | Mostaqbal Watan Party [Mohamed BADRAN] | New Wafd Party [Sayed al-BADADWI] | Popular Current Party [Ahmed Kamel AL-BEHERI] | Reform and Development Party [Mohamad Anwar al-SADAT] | Socialist Popular Alliance [Abu Al-Izz AL-HARIRI] | Strong Egypt Party [Abdel Moneim Aboul FOTOUH]
Political parties
(Political pressure groups and leaders)
[time series]
NA
Suffrage
[time series]
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Introduction
Background
[time series]
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty from Britain in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. | Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new parliament was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Mohammed MORSI won the presidential election. Following often violent protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MORSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Armed Forces intervened and removed MORSI from power in July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. In January 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum and in May 2014 elected Abdel Fattah EL SISI president. Egypt elected a new legislature in December 2015, the first parliament since 2012.
Military and Security
Military and security forces
(Military branches)
[time series]
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces (2015)
Military expenditures
[time series]
1.76% of GDP (2014) | 1.67% of GDP (2013) | 1.72% of GDP (2012) | 1.86% of GDP (2011) | 1.72% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 53
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation - 18-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation; voluntary enlistment possible from age 16 (2012)
People and Society
Age structure
[time series]
0-14 years: 33.21% (male 16,268,862/female 15,169,039) | 15-24 years: 19.24% (male 9,371,819/female 8,839,999) | 25-54 years: 37.47% (male 18,020,332/female 17,448,871) | 55-64 years: 5.91% (male 2,771,399/female 2,826,094) | 65 years and over: 4.17% (male 1,937,119/female 2,013,459) (2016 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
30.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
[time series]
7% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 77
Contraceptive prevalence rate
[time series]
60.3% (2008)
Death rate
[time series]
4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 198
Demographic profile
[time series]
Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world and the third most populous country in Africa, behind Nigeria and Ethiopia. Most of the country is desert, so about 95% of the population is concentrated in a narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile River, which represents only about 5% of Egypt’s land area. Egypt’s rapid population growth – 46% between 1994 and 2014 – stresses limited natural resources, jobs, housing, sanitation, education, and health care. | Although the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell from roughly 5.5 children per woman in 1980 to just over 3 in the late 1990s, largely as a result of state-sponsored family planning programs, the population growth rate dropped more modestly because of decreased mortality rates and longer life expectancies. During the last decade, Egypt’s TFR decline stalled for several years and then reversed, reaching 3.6 in 2011, and has plateaued the last few years. Contraceptive use has held steady at about 60%, while preferences for larger families and early marriage may have strengthened in the wake of the recent 2011 revolution. The large cohort of women of or nearing childbearing age will sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future (an effect called population momentum). | Nevertheless, post-MUBARAK governments have not made curbing population growth a priority. To increase contraceptive use and to prevent further overpopulation will require greater government commitment and substantial social change, including encouraging smaller families and better educating and empowering women. Currently, literacy, educational attainment, and labor force participation rates are much lower for women than men. In addition, the prevalence of violence against women, the lack of female political representation, and the perpetuation of the nearly universal practice of female genital cutting continue to keep women from playing a more significant role in Egypt’s public sphere. | Population pressure, poverty, high unemployment, and the fragmentation of inherited land holdings have historically motivated Egyptians, primarily young men, to migrate internally from rural and smaller urban areas in the Nile Delta region and the poorer rural south to Cairo, Alexandria, and other urban centers in the north, while a much smaller number migrated to the Red Sea and Sinai areas. Waves of forced internal migration also resulted from the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the floods caused by the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970. Limited numbers of students and professionals emigrated temporarily prior to the early 1970s, when economic problems and high unemployment pushed the Egyptian Government to lift restrictions on labor migration. At the same time, high oil revenues enabled Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other Gulf states, as well as Libya and Jordan, to fund development projects, creating a demand for unskilled labor (mainly in construction), which attracted tens of thousands of young Egyptian men. | Between 1970 and 1974 alone, Egyptian migrants in the Gulf countries increased from approximately 70,000 to 370,000. Egyptian officials encouraged legal labor migration both to alleviate unemployment and to generate remittance income (remittances continue to be one of Egypt’s largest sources of foreign currency and GDP). During the mid-1980s, however, depressed oil prices resulting from the Iran-Iraq War, decreased demand for low-skilled labor, competition from less costly South Asian workers, and efforts to replace foreign workers with locals significantly reduced Egyptian migration to the Gulf States. The number of Egyptian migrants dropped from a peak of almost 3.3 million in 1983 to about 2.2 million at the start of the 1990s, but numbers gradually recovered. | In the 2000s, Egypt began facilitating more labor migration through bilateral agreements, notably with Arab countries and Italy, but illegal migration to Europe through overstayed visas or maritime human smuggling via Libya also rose. The Egyptian Government estimated there were 6.5 million Egyptian migrants in 2009, with roughly 75% being temporary migrants in other Arab countries (Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates) and 25% being predominantly permanent migrants in the West (US, UK, Italy, France, and Canada). | During the 2000s, Egypt became an increasingly important transit and destination country for economic migrants and asylum seekers, including Palestinians, East Africans, and South Asians and, more recently, Iraqis and Syrians. Egypt draws many refugees because of its resettlement programs with the West; Cairo has one of the largest urban refugee populations in the world. Many East African migrants are interned or live in temporary encampments along the Egypt-Israel border, and some have been shot and killed by Egyptian border guards.
Dependency ratios
[time series]
total dependency ratio: 62.3% | youth dependency ratio: 53.8% | elderly dependency ratio: 8.5% | potential support ratio: 11.8% (2015 est.)
Drinking water source
[time series]
urban: 100% of population | rural: 99% of population | total: 99.4% of population | urban: 0% of population | rural: 1% of population | total: 0.6% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
3.8% of GDP (2008) | country comparison to the world: 117
Ethnic groups
[time series]
Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
0.02% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128
HIV/AIDS - deaths
[time series]
300 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
[time series]
11,500 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 98
Health expenditure
(Health expenditures)
[time series]
5.6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 142
Hospital bed density
[time series]
0.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 19.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 21 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 18.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85
Languages
[time series]
Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 72.7 years | male: 71.4 years | female: 74.2 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 73.8% | male: 82.2% | female: 65.4% (2015 est.)
Major infectious diseases
[time series]
degree of risk: intermediate | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2016)
Major urban areas - population
[time series]
CAIRO (capital) 18.772 million; Alexandria 4.778 million (2015)
Maternal mortality ratio
(Maternal mortality rate)
[time series]
33 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92
Median age
[time series]
total: 23.8 years | male: 23.5 years | female: 24.1 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164
Mother's mean age at first birth
[time series]
22.7 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2014 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Egyptian(s) | adjective: Egyptian
Net migration rate
[time series]
-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
27.7% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 17
Physician density
(Physicians density)
[time series]
2.83 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
Population
[time series]
94,666,993 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16
Population distribution
[time series]
approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited
Population growth rate
[time series]
2.51% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21
Religions
[time series]
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10% (2012 est.)
Sanitation facility access
[time series]
urban: 96.8% of population | rural: 93.1% of population | total: 94.7% of population | urban: 3.2% of population | rural: 6.9% of population | total: 5.3% of population (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 13 years | male: 13 years | female: 13 years (2014)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female | total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
3.53 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
(Unemployment, youth ages 15-24)
[time series]
total: 34.3% | male: 28.7% | female: 52.2% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 43.1% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.68% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of Halaib region north of the 22nd parallel boundary; Egypt no longer shows its administration of the Bir Tawil trapezoid in Sudan on its maps; Gazan breaches in the security wall with Egypt in January 2008 highlight difficulties in monitoring the Sinai border; Saudi Arabia claims Egyptian-administered islands of Tiran and Sanafir
Illicit drugs
[time series]
transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug couriers; concern as money laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations
Refugees and internally displaced persons
[time series]
refugees (country of origin): 70,021 (West Bank and Gaza Strip); 11,296 (Sudan) (2015); 115,204 (Syria); 6,231 (Somalia) (2016) | IDPs: 78,000 (2015) | stateless persons: 22 (2015)
Trafficking in persons
[time series]
current situation: Egypt is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; Egyptian children, including the large population of street children are vulnerable to forced labor in domestic service, begging and agriculture or may be victims of sex trafficking or child sex tourism, which occurs in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor; some Egyptian women and girls are sold into “temporary” or “summer” marriages with Gulf men, through the complicity of their parents or marriage brokers, and are exploited for prostitution or forced labor; Egyptian men are subject to forced labor in neighboring countries, while adults from South and Southeast Asia and East Africa – and increasingly Syrian refugees – are forced to work in domestic service, construction, cleaning, and begging in Egypt; women and girls, including migrants and refugees, from Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East are sex trafficked in Egypt; the Egyptian military cracked down on criminal group’s smuggling, abducting, trafficking, and extorting African migrants in the Sinai Peninsula, but the practice has reemerged in along Egypt’s western border with Libya | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Egypt does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government gathered data nationwide on trafficking cases to better allocated and prioritize anti-trafficking efforts, but overall it did not demonstrate increased progress; prosecutions increased in 2014, but no offenders were convicted for the second consecutive year; fewer trafficking victims were identified in 2014, which represents a significant and ongoing decrease from the previous two reporting periods; the government relied on NGOs and international organizations to identify and refer victims to protective services, and focused on Egyptian victims and refused to provide some services to foreign victims, at times including shelter (2015)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
83 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 66
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 72 | over 3,047 m: 15 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 | under 914 m: 6 (2013)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 11 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 | under 914 m: 3 (2013)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
[time series]
SU (2016)
Heliports
[time series]
7 (2013)
Merchant marine
[time series]
total: 67 | by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 20, container 3, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 9 | foreign-owned: 13 (Denmark 1, France 1, Greece 8, Jordan 2, Lebanon 1) | registered in other countries: 42 (Cambodia 4, Georgia 7, Honduras 2, Liberia 3, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 5, Panama 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, unknown 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 62
National air transport system
[time series]
number of registered air carriers: 14 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 101 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 10,159,464 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 397,531,535 mt-km (2015)
Pipelines
[time series]
condensate 486 km; condensate/gas 74 km; gas 7,986 km; liquid petroleum gas 957 km; oil 5,225 km; oil/gas/water 37 km; refined products 895 km; water 65 km (2013)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
major seaport(s): Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said; Gulf of Suez - Suez | oil terminal(s): Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal | container port(s) (TEUs): Alexandria (1,108,826), Port Said (East) (2,617,043), Port Said (West) (1,138,753) | LNG terminal(s) (export): Damietta, Idku (Abu Qir Bay)
Railways
[time series]
total: 5,085 km | standard gauge: 5,085 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 37
Roadways
[time series]
total: 137,430 km | paved: 126,742 km (includes 838 km of expressways) | unpaved: 10,688 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 37
Waterways
[time series]
3,500 km (includes the Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in Nile Delta; the Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) is navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 29