Egypt

total: 6,579,762 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2018 est.)

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; dozens of private satellite channels and a large number of Arabic satellite channels are available for free; some limited satellite services are also available via subscription; state-run radio operates about 30 stations belonging to 8 networks; privately-owned radio includes 8 major stations, 4 of which belong to 1 network (2019)

one of the largest and most famous libraries in the ancient world was the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt (founded about 295 B.C., it may have survived in some form into the 5th century A.D.); seeking to resurrect the great center of learning and communication, the Egyptian Government in 2002 inaugurated the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an Egyptian National Library on the site of the original Great Library, which commemorates the original archive and also serves as a center of cultural and scientific excellence

.eg

total: 46,644,728 | percent of population: 46.92% (July 2018 est.)

general assessment: one of the biggest fixed-line systems in Africa and the Arab region; one of the largest mobile telecom markets in North Africa; penetration rate of about 94%; LTE launch in late 2017, which greatly helped the capabilities of mobile broadband services, and the beginning of developing the 5G network; recent govt. efforts to fund next generation networks, develop technology parks and extend broadband availability (2020) | domestic: fixed-line 9 per 100, mobile-cellular 95 per 100 (2019) | international: country code - 20; landing points for Aletar, Africa-1, FEA, Hawk, IMEWE, and the SEA-ME-WE-3 & 4 submarine cable networks linking to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia ; 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 (2019) | note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated

total subscriptions: 8,885,103 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8.73 (2019 est.)

total subscriptions: 96,657,295 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94.97 (2019 est.)

cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats

revenues: 42.32 billion (2017 est.) | expenditures: 62.61 billion (2017 est.)

-8.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Fitch rating: B+ (2019) | Moody's rating: B2 (2019) | Standard & Poors rating: B (2018)

-$8.915 billion (2019 est.) | -$7.682 billion (2018 est.)

$77.47 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $62.38 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

60.1 (2020)

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. Agriculture, hydrocarbons, manufacturing, tourism, and other service sectors drove the country’s relatively diverse economic activity. Despite Egypt’s mixed record for attracting foreign investment over the past two decades, poor living conditions and limited job opportunities have contributed to public discontent. These socioeconomic pressures were a major factor leading to the January 2011 revolution that ousted MUBARAK. The uncertain political, security, and policy environment since 2011 has restricted economic growth and failed to alleviate persistent unemployment, especially among the young. In late 2016, persistent dollar shortages and waning aid from its Gulf allies led Cairo to turn to the IMF for a 3-year, $12 billion loan program. To secure the deal, Cairo floated its currency, introduced new taxes, and cut energy subsidies - all of which pushed inflation above 30% for most of 2017, a high that had not been seen in a generation. Since the currency float, foreign investment in Egypt’s high interest treasury bills has risen exponentially, boosting both dollar availability and central bank reserves. Cairo will be challenged to obtain foreign and local investment in manufacturing and other sectors without a sustained effort to implement a range of business reforms.

Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar - | 15.69 (2020 est.) | 16.14 (2019 est.) | 17.90999 (2018 est.) | 7.7133 (2014 est.) | 7.08 (2013 est.)

$87.891 billion (2018 est.) | $66.506 billion (2017 est.)

crude oil and petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals, processed food

UAE 10.9%, Italy 10%, US 7.4%, UK 5.7%, Turkey 4.4%, Germany 4.3%, India 4.3% (2017)

1 July - 30 June

$323.763 billion (2019 est.)

$1,087,520,000,000 (2019 est.) | $1,030,262,000,000 (2018 est.) | $978.275 billion (2017 est.) | note: data are in 2010 dollars

household consumption: 86.8% (2017 est.) | government consumption: 10.1% (2017 est.) | investment in fixed capital: 14.8% (2017 est.) | investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.) | exports of goods and services: 16.3% (2017 est.) | imports of goods and services: -28.5% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 11.7% (2017 est.) | industry: 34.3% (2017 est.) | services: 54% (2017 est.)

$2,943 (2019 est.) | $2,844 (2018 est.) | $2,756 (2017 est.) | note: data are in 2010 dollars

4.2% (2017 est.) | 4.3% (2016 est.) | 4.4% (2015 est.)

9% of GDP (2017 est.) | 9.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | 10.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

lowest 10%: 4% | highest 10%: 26.6% (2008)

$115.345 billion (2018 est.) | $103.636 billion (2017 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels

China 7.9%, UAE 5.2%, Germany 4.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, US 4.4%, Russia 4.3% (2017)

3.5% (2017 est.)

textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures

9.3% (2019 est.) | 14.4% (2018 est.) | 29.6% (2017 est.)

24.113 million (2020 est.)

agriculture: 25.8% | industry: 25.1% | services: 49.1% (2015 est.)

27.8% (2016 est.)

103% of GDP (2017 est.) | 96.8% of GDP (2016 est.) | note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental 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

$35.89 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $23.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

17.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

7.86% (2019 est.) | 12.7% (2016 est.)

232.7 million Mt (2017 est.)

246,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

64,760 bbl/day (2015 est.)

639,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

159.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)

1.158 billion kWh (2015 est.)

91% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

6% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

54 million kWh (2016 est.)

45.12 million kW (2016 est.)

183.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)

electrification - total population: 100% (2020)

57.71 billion cu m (2017 est.)

212.4 million cu m (2017 est.)

7.079 billion cu m (2017 est.)

50.86 billion cu m (2017 est.)

2.186 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

878,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

47,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)

280,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)

547,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)

total: 1,001,450 sq km | land: 995,450 sq km | water: 6,000 sq km

more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico | Area comparison map: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Africa :: Egypt Print Image Description more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

2,450 km

mean elevation: 321 m | lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m | highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

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

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

27 00 N, 30 00 E

controls Sinai Peninsula, the 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

36,500 sq km (2012)

total: 2,612 km | border countries (4): Gaza Strip 13 km, Israel 208 km, Libya 1115 km, Sudan 1276 km

agricultural land: 3.6% (2011 est.) | arable land: 2.8% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.8% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.) | forest: 0.1% (2011 est.) | other: 96.3% (2011 est.)

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

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus | contiguous zone: 24 nm | continental shelf: 200 nm

periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc

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 as shown in this population distribution map

vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

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

name: Cairo | geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E | time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | etymology: from the Arabic "al-Qahira," meaning "the victorious"

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

history: 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 | amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by one fifth of the House of Representatives members; a decision to accept the proposal requires majority vote by House members; passage of amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote by House members and passage by majority vote in a referendum; articles of reelection of the president and principles of freedom are not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees;" amended 2019

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Jonathan R. COHEN (since 17 November 2019) | telephone: [20-2] 2797-3300 | 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 | FAX: [20-2] 2797-3200

chief of mission: Ambassador Motaz Mounir ZAHRAN (since 17 September 2020) | chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 | FAX: [1] (202) 244-5131 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

chief of state: President Abdelfattah ELSISI (since 8 June 2014) | head of government: Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018) | cabinet: Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representatives | elections/appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 26-28 March 2018 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives; note - following a constitutional amendment approved by referendum in April 2019, the presidential term was extended from 4 to 6 years and eligibility extended to 3 consecutive terms | election results: Abdelfattah ELSISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdelfattah ELSISI (independent) 97.1%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.9%; note - more than 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalid

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

presidential republic

28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the military-led 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

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

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

highest courts: Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) (consists of the court president and 10 justices); the SCC serves as the final court of arbitration 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 NA judges 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 and appointed by the Supreme Judiciary Council and approved as a formality by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life; under the 2019 amendments, the president has the power to appoint heads of judiciary authorities and courts, the prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)

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

description: bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (Majlis Al-Shiyoukh) (300 seats; 100 members elected in single seat constituencies, 100 elected by closed party-list system, and 100 appointed by the president; note - the upper house, previously the Shura Council, was eliminated in the 2014 constitution, reestablished as the Senate, following passage in a 2019 constitutional referendum and approved by the House of Representatives in June 2020 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 appointed by the president; members of both houses serve 5-year terms | elections: Senate - first round held on 11-12 August 2020 (9-10 August for diaspora); second round to be held on 8-9 September (6-7 September for diaspora) (next to be held in 2025) House of Representatives - last held from 17 October to 2 December 2015 (next to be held 24-25 October and 7-8 November 2020) | election results: Senate first round results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nation's Future Party 100, independent 100; composition - NA House of Representatives (2015) - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Free Egyptians Party 65, Future of the Nation 53, New Wafd Party 36, Homeland's Protector Party 18, Republican People's Party 13, Congress Party 12, Al-Nour Party 11, Conservative Party 6, Democratic Peace Party 5, Egyptian National Movement 4, Egyptian Social Democratic Party 4, Modern Egypt Party 4, Freedom Party 3, My Homeland Egypt Party 3, Reform and Development Party 3, National Progressive Unionist Party 2, Arab Democratic Nasserist Party 1, El Serh El Masry el Hor 1, Revolutionary Guards Party 1, independent 351; composition - men 507, women 89, percent of women 14.9%

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

Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

golden eagle, white lotus; national colors: red, white, black

Al-Nour [Yunis MAKHYUN] Arab Democratic Nasserist Party [Dr. Mohamed ABDUL ELLA ] Congress Party [Omar Al-Mokhtar SEMIDA] Conservative Party [Akmal KOURTAM] Democratic Peace Party [Ahmed FADALY] Egyptian National Movement Party [Gen. Raouf EL SAYED] Egyptian Social Democratic Party [Farid ZAHRAN] El Ghad Party [Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA] El Serh El Masry el Hor [Tarek Ahmed Abbas NADIM] Freedom Party [Salah HASSABALAH] Free Egyptians Party [Essam KHALIL] Homeland’s Protector Party [Lt. Gen. (retired) Galal AL-HARIDI] Modern Egypt Party [Nabil DEIBIS] Nation's Future Party (Mostaqbal Watan) [Mohamed Ashraf RASHAD] My Homeland Egypt Party [Gen. Seif El Islam ABDEL BARY ] National Progressive Unionist (Tagammu) Party [Sayed Abdel AAL] Reform and Development Party [Mohamad Anwar al-SADAT] Republican People’s Party [Hazim AMR] Revolutionary Guards Party [Magdy EL-SHARIF] Wafd Party note - party chairman Bahaa ABU SHOKA resigned in late September 2020

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

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 reaffirmed 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 fast-growing population as it implements far-reaching economic reforms, including the reduction of select subsidies, large-scale infrastructure projects, energy cooperation, and foreign direct investment appeals. Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster in 2011. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new legislature was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Muhammad MURSI won the presidential election. Following protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MURSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Armed Forces intervened and removed MURSI from power in July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. Simultaneously, the government began enacting laws to limit freedoms of assembly and expression. In January 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum and in May 2014 elected former defense minister Abdelfattah ELSISI president. Egypt elected a new legislature in December 2015, its first Hose of Representatives since 2012. ELSISI was reelected to a second four-year term in March 2018. In April 2019, Egypt approved via national referendum a set of constitutional amendments extending ELSISI’s term in office through 2024 and possibly through 2030 if re-elected for a third term. The amendments would also allow future presidents up to two consecutive six-year terms in office, re-establish an upper legislative house, allow for one or more vice presidents, establish a 25% quota for female legislators, reaffirm the military’s role as guardian of Egypt, and expand presidential authority to appoint the heads of judicial councils.

since 2011, the Egyptian Armed Forces, police, and other security forces have been actively engaged in counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the North Sinai governorate against several militant groups, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – Sinai Province; as of early 2020, Egypt reportedly had over 40,000 troops plus thousands of police and other security personnel deployed to the Sinai for internal security duties the military has a large stake in the civilian economy, including running businesses, producing consumer and industrial goods, importing commodities, and building and managing infrastructure projects, such as bridges, roads, hospitals, and housing developments the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) has operated in the Sinai since 1982 as a peacekeeping and monitoring force to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace; the MFO is an independent international organization, created by agreement between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel; it is composed of about 1,150 troops from 13 countries (2020)

Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF): Army (includes surface-to-surface missile forces, special forces, Republican Guard), Navy (includes coastal defense, Coast Guard), Air Force, Air Defense Command; Ministry of Interior: Central Security Forces, National Police (2019) | note: some tribal militias in the Sinai Peninsula cooperate with the Egyptian military against insurgent/terrorist groups such as the Islamic State

estimates of the size of the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) vary; approximately 450,000 total active personnel (325,000 Army; 18,500 Navy; 30,000 Air Force; 75,000 Air Defense Command) (2019)

1,000 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,050 Mali (MINUSMA); 150 Sudan (UNAMID) (2020)

the EAF's inventory is comprised of a mix of domestically produced, Soviet-era, and more modern, particularly US, weapons systems; in recent years, the EAF has embarked on an extensive equipment modernization program with major purchases from a variety of suppliers; since 2010, the leading suppliers of military hardware to Egypt are France, Germany, Russia, and the US; Egypt has an established defense industry that produces a range of products from small arms to armored vehicles and naval vessels; it also has licensed and co-production agreements with several countries, including France (naval frigates) and the US (tanks) (2019 )

1.2% of GDP (2019) | 1.2% of GDP (2018) | 1.4% of GDP (2017) | 1.7% of GDP (2016) | 1.7% of GDP (2015)

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 15 (2017)

0-14 years: 33.62% (male 18,112,550/female 16,889,155) | 15-24 years: 18.01% (male 9,684,437/female 9,071,163) | 25-54 years: 37.85% (male 20,032,310/female 19,376,847) | 55-64 years: 6.08% (male 3,160,438/female 3,172,544) | 65 years and over: 4.44% (male 2,213,539/female 2,411,457) (2020 est.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Africa :: Egypt Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Egypt. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

27.2 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)

7% (2014)

58.5% (2014)

5.3% (2017)

4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)

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.

total dependency ratio: 64.6 | youth dependency ratio: 55.8 | elderly dependency ratio: 8.8 | potential support ratio: 11.4 (2020 est.)

improved: urban: 100% of population | rural: 98.8% of population | total: 100% of population | unimproved: urban: 0% of population | rural: 1.2% of population | total: 0.6% of population (2017 est.)

NA

Egyptian 99.7%, other 0.3% (2006 est.) | note: data represent respondents by nationality

<.1% (2019 est.)

<500 (2019 est.)

26,000 (2019 est.)

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

total: 17.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 18.2 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 15.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Arabic (official), Arabic, English, and French widely understood by educated classes

total population: 73.7 years | male: 72.3 years | female: 75.3 years (2020 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 71.2% | male: 76.5% | female: 65.5% (2017)

degree of risk: intermediate (2020) | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | water contact diseases: schistosomiasis | note: clusters of cases of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are occurring throughout Egypt; as of 8 December 2020, Egypt has reported a total of 118,014 cases of COVID-19 or 1,153 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 1 million population with 66 cumulative deaths per 1 million population

20.901 million CAIRO (capital), 5.281 million Alexandria (2020)

37 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

total: 24.1 years | male: 23.8 years | female: 24.5 years (2020 est.)

22.7 years (2014 est.) | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

noun: Egyptian(s) | adjective: Egyptian

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)

32% (2016)

0.8 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

104,124,440 (July 2020 est.)

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 as shown in this population distribution map

2.28% (2020 est.)

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10% (2015 est.) | MENA religious affiliation: PDF

improved: urban: 99.8% of population | rural: 97.6% of population | total: 98.5% of population | unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population | rural: 2.4% of population | total: 1.5% of population (2017 est.)

total: 13 years | male: 13 years | female: 13 years (2017)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female | total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

3.29 children born/woman (2020 est.)

total: 29.6% | male: 25.7% | female: 38.3% (2017 est.)

urban population: 42.8% of total population (2020) | rate of urbanization: 1.86% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) | total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030: PDF

Army of Islam; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – Sinai Province; Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem; al-Qa’ida (2019) | note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

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

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 (country of origin): 70,010 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2019); 130,187 (Syria) (refugees and asylum seekers), 49,290 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 19,814 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 19,200 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 16,181 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,259 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,824 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,755 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2020) | IDPs: 97,000 (2019) | stateless persons: 5 (2019)

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 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 allocate 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)

83 (2013)

total: 72 (2017) | over 3,047 m: 15 (2017) | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 (2017) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 (2017) | under 914 m: 6 (2017)

total: 11 (2013) | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2013) | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2013) | under 914 m: 3 (2013)

SU (2016)

7 (2013)

total: 393 | by type: bulk carrier 13, container ship 7, general cargo 28, oil tanker 36, other 309 (2019)

number of registered air carriers: 14 (2020) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 101 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,340,832 (2018) | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 437.63 million mt-km (2018)

486 km condensate, 74 km condensate/gas, 7986 km gas, 957 km liquid petroleum gas, 5225 km oil, 37 km oil/gas/water, 895 km refined products, 65 km water (2013)

major seaport(s): Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said | oil terminal(s): Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal | container port(s) (TEUs): Alexandria (1,613,000), Port Said (East) (2,968,308) (2017) | LNG terminal(s) (export): Damietta, Idku (Abu Qir Bay) | Gulf of Suez - Suez

total: 5,085 km (2014) | standard gauge: 5,085 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2014)

total: 65,050 km (2017) | paved: 48,000 km (2017) | unpaved: 17,050 km (2017)

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)