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 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 House 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 reelected for a third term. The amendments would also allow future presidents up to two consecutive six-year terms in office, reestablish 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.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "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" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "27 00 N, 30 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Africa" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "1,001,450 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "995,450 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "6,000 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "2,612 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Gaza Strip 13 km; Israel 208 km; Libya 1,115 km; Sudan 1,276 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "2,450 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters" }, "Terrain": { "text": "vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Mount Catherine 2,629 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Qattara Depression -133 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "321 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "3.6% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "0.1% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "96.3% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "36,500 sq km (2012)" }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "Salt water lake(s)": { "text": "Lake Manzala - 1,360 sq km
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.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "33.62% (male 18,112,550/female 16,889,155)" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "18.01% (male 9,684,437/female 9,071,163)" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "37.85% (male 20,032,310/female 19,376,847)" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "6.08% (male 3,160,438/female 3,172,544)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "4.44% (male 2,213,539/female 2,411,457) (2020 est.)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "64.6" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "55.8" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "8.8" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "11.4 (2020 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "24.1 years" }, "male": { "text": "23.8 years" }, "female": { "text": "24.5 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "2.17% (2021 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "21.46 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "4.32 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "43% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "21.750 million CAIRO (capital), 5.484 million Alexandria, 764,000 Bur Sa'id (2022)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.06 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.07 male(s)/female" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "1.07 male(s)/female" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "1 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.92 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female (2020 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "22.6 years (2014 est.)", "note": "note: median age at first birth among women 25-49" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "37 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "18.25 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "19.74 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "16.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "74.01 years" }, "male": { "text": "72.54 years" }, "female": { "text": "75.57 years (2021 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "3.23 children born/woman (2021 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "58.5% (2014)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99.7% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 99.7% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.7% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.3% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0.3% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current Health Expenditure": { "text": "4.7% (2019)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "0.45 physicians/1,000 population (2018)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 98.2% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 98.9% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.1% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 1.8% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "<.1% (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": { "text": "24,000 (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - deaths": { "text": "<500 (2020 est.)" }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "intermediate (2020)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "32% (2016)" }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "7% (2014)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "3.9% of GDP NA (2015)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "71.2%" }, "male": { "text": "76.5%" }, "female": { "text": "65.5% (2017)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "14 years" }, "male": { "text": "14 years" }, "female": { "text": "14 years (2018)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "19.2%" }, "male": { "text": "12.2%" }, "female": { "text": "49.3% (2019 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "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" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban" } }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "79.28 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "238.56 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "59.68 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Climate": { "text": "desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "3.6% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "0.1% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "96.3% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "43% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "forest revenues": { "text": "0.15% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "intermediate (2020)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "21 million tons (2012 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "2.625 million tons (2013 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "12.5% (2013 est.)" } }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "Salt water lake(s)": { "text": "Lake Manzala - 1,360 sq kmOccupying 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.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$1,223,040,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$1,180,890,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$1,118,720,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "4.2% (2017 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2016": { "text": "4.3% (2016 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2015": { "text": "4.4% (2015 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$12,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$11,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$11,400 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$323.763 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "9.3% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "14.4% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "29.6% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "B+ (2019)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "B2 (2019)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "B (2018)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "11.7% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "34.3% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "54% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "86.8% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "10.1% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "14.8% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0.5% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "16.3% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-28.5% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "sugar cane, sugar beet, wheat, maize, tomatoes, rice, potatoes, oranges, onions, milk" }, "Industries": { "text": "textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "3.5% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "24.113 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "25.8%" }, "industry": { "text": "25.1%" }, "services": { "text": "49.1% (2015 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "7.86% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2016": { "text": "12.7% (2016 est.)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "19.2%" }, "male": { "text": "12.2%" }, "female": { "text": "49.3% (2019 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "32.5% (2017 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017": { "text": "31.5 (2017 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2012": { "text": "29.8 (2012)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "4%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "26.6% (2008)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "42.32 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "62.61 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-8.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "103% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "96.8% of GDP (2016 est.)" }, "note": "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" }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "17.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "1 July - 30 June" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "-$8.915 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "-$7.682 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2020": { "text": "$40.1 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Exports 2019": { "text": "$53.52 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$51.62 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "United States 9%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Italy 6%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6%, India 5% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, natural gas, fertilizers (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2020": { "text": "$72.48 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Imports 2019": { "text": "$78.95 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$76.33 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "China 15%, Russia 7%, United States 6%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Germany 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "refined petroleum, wheat, crude petroleum, cars, packaged medicines (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$35.89 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$23.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$109.238 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$92.638 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "15.69 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "16.14 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "17.90999 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "7.7133 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "7.08 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "183.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "159.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "1.158 billion kWh (2015 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "54 million kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "45.12 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "91% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "6% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "639,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "246,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "64,760 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "4.4 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "547,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "878,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "47,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "280,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "50.86 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "57.71 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "212.4 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "7.079 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "2.186 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "9,858,331 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "9.63 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "95,357,427 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "93.18 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "with a large urbanized population and effective competition, Egypt has one of the largest fixed-line and mobile telecom markets in North Africa; investment has spurred broadband infrastructure and migration to digital economy; operator has ambitions for satellite/smart infrastructure based on 5G and fiber networks; Egypt’s geographical position enabled inexpensive bandwidth through fiber and cable connection to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; rural Internet connections continue to suffer from poor quality and low speeds; government disrupted service during political crises (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line roughly 10 per 100, mobile-cellular 93 per 100 (2020)" }, "international": { "text": "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": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "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)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".eg" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "59.19 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "71.91% (2020 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "9,349,469 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "9.14 (2020 est.)" } }, "Communications - note": { "text": "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" } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "14 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "101" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "12,340,832 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "437.63 million mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "SU" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "83 (2013)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "72" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "15" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "36" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "15" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "6 (2017)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "11" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "1" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "3" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "4" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "3 (2013)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "7 (2013)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "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)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "5,085 km (2014)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "5,085 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2014)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "65,050 km (2018)" }, "paved": { "text": "48,000 km (2018)" }, "unpaved": { "text": "17,050 km (2018)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "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) (2018)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "421" }, "by type": { "text": "bulk carrier 14, container ship 8, general cargo 27, oil tanker 40, other 332 (2021)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said" }, "oil terminal(s)": { "text": "Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal" }, "container port(s) (TEUs)": { "text": "Port Said (East) (3,816,084) (2019)" }, "LNG terminal(s) (export)": { "text": "Damietta, Idku (Abu Qir Bay)" }, "note": "Gulf of Suez - Suez" } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF): Army (includes surface-to-surface missile forces, special forces, Republican Guard), Navy (includes Coast Guard), Air Force, Air Defense Command, Border Guard Forces; Interior Ministry: Public Security Sector Police, the Central Security Force, National Security Sector (2021)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 2021, Egypt reportedly had approximately 40,000 military troops, police, and other security personnel deployed in the Sinai for internal security duties; in addition, tribal militias were assisting Egyptian security forces
the military has a large stake in the civilian economy, including running banks, businesses, and shipping lines, producing consumer and industrial goods, importing commodities, and building and managing infrastructure projects, such as bridges, roads, hospitals, and housing
Egypt has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation; while MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments
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
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "70,022 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2021); 138,853 (Syria), 52,003 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,713 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,927 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 15,484 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,891 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,807 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,765 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2022)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "7 (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics
" } } }