Marriage rate in Egypt declines by 50%

A pedlar sells tangerines along a street in the Azhar district of Egypt’s capital Cairo on January 16, 2023 [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images]

The marriage rate in Egypt has declined by about 50 per cent, the lowest rate ever recorded according to a report in Arabi21.

One of the reasons cited in the report is Egypt’s deteriorating economy which has led to rising unemployment which now stands at 28 per cent.

Inflation in Egypt has surged which has pushed prices up across sectors including food, medicine, housing and furniture, making it harder for couples to buy a home and everything that is needed for it.

Nearly 30 per cent of Egyptians already live in poverty.

Figures quoted in Arabi21 said that since the beginning of the year up until now, 320,000 people got married compared to 500,000 people in the same period last year.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) has said that throughout 2019, 927,000 people got married, compared to 880,041 in 2021.

Also in 2021, 254,777 people got divorced, up by 14.7 per cent from the previous year when 222,036 people divorced.

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