Egypt's population exceeds 100 million people (Associated Press)

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development in Egypt said that the most populous country in the Arab world recorded the lowest population growth rate in 50 years, as it decreased from 2.6 percent in 2017 to 1.4 percent in 2023.

A statement from the Ministry stated that population growth rates decreased by 46% in the period from 2017 to 2023, which the statement described as “reflecting the state’s efforts to address the population issue.”

The statement indicated that the number of births during 2023 amounted to about two million, a decrease of 7 percent compared to the previous year 2022, and a decrease of 15 percent compared to 2018.

According to Reuters news agency, the population increase in Egypt, about 60 percent of its population of about 106 million people, falls below or near the poverty line, is a burden on its resources, with a lack of water and job opportunities, and overcrowding in schools and hospitals.

Egypt is building a new capital, the largest among a package of giant projects, the necessity of which President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stressed in the economic development process and its role in absorbing the rapid population growth rate. While critics say that the project eats up resources and increases debt burdens.

Increased inflation

According to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, annual consumer price inflation in Egyptian cities jumped to 35.7 percent in February compared to 29.8 percent in January, driven mainly by the rise in food and beverage prices.

In 2019, the Egyptian government launched a family planning campaign in an attempt to change the Egyptian countryside's deep-rooted traditions regarding large families.

Decades ago, Egypt had a family planning program, supported by the United States. The birth rate fell from 5.6 children in 1976 to 3 children in 2008, while the use of contraceptives rose from 18.8 percent to 60.3 percent. The authorities then provided huge quantities of contraceptives and increased advertisements urging the restriction of births.

Source: Reuters