Official: Egypt population reaches 98m

The number of Egyptians living in the country has reached 98 million, Rapporteur of the National Council of Population Dr. Amr Hassan said.

Hassan added that the Egyptian population is growing by more than 2.56 million per year, warning that if the current growth rate continues, Egypt will be home to 119 million nationals by 2030. However, if the national population strategy is implemented, the number of Egyptians will be 111 million by 2030, he said.

The poverty rate has increased from 22 per cent in 2008 to 28 per cent in 2015. It reached more than 50 per cent in four governorates namely: Minya, Assiut, Sohag and Qena.

He added that illiteracy rate in Egypt reached 26 per cent in 2018 (31 per cent among females). The number of school drop outs reached six million in 2017 while the number of those who had never enrolled in education reached 23 million.

According to the Egyptian official, three per cent of children aged 5-11 are in employment.

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