Egypt sees mounting strain on resources as quarter million new citizens in two months

Egypt’s population has reached 108.25 million, state authorities announced this week, underscoring the country’s mounting demographic and resource challenges.

The increase—a rise of 250,000 people in just 60 days—means Egypt is adding more than 4,000 new residents every day.

Population growth continues to outpace government efforts to slow it, despite early signs of a declining birth rate, according to figures released by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) on October 14, cited by The Arab Weekly.

Official data show that total births fell to 1.9 million in 2024, compared to 2.044 million the previous year, a 3.7 per cent decrease. The birth rate also dropped from 19.4 per 1,000 people in 2023 to 18.5 per 1,000 in 2024.

In April, Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar hailed this as the “lowest population growth rate in the country’s history during the first quarter of 2025,” calling it evidence of early progress in Egypt’s family planning and awareness initiatives.

Yet, even with a slower growth rate, Egypt’s population density remains a pressing issue. The vast majority of Egyptians live within a narrow corridor along the Nile Valley and Delta, where limited arable land and infrastructure are increasingly strained.

Cairo remains Egypt’s most populous governorate with 10.5 million residents, followed by Giza with 9.8 million, which are only 6 kilometres apart. Together, the two make up a sprawling capital region that consumes a disproportionate share of the nation’s resources. Other high-density areas include Sharqia (8.1 million), Dakahlia and Beheira (over seven million each), Minya (6.6 million), and Sohag (six million) — a pattern experts describe as “geographic overcrowding” rather than simply population growth.

By contrast, Egypt’s least populated areas remain the canal cities and desert governorates. Suez and Port Said each have populations below 800,000, while North Sinai (473,400), Red Sea (416,600), New Valley (274,900), and South Sinai (119,100) record the lowest figures nationwide.

The article notes that this stark imbalance means that roughly 97 per cent of Egyptians live on just seven per cent of the country’s land, amplifying pressures on urban infrastructure, housing, and economic opportunities.

While the government continues to promote birth control and rural development programs, experts warn that unless population growth and regional disparities are addressed in tandem, Egypt’s demographic challenge will remain one of its most urgent long-term obstacles to sustainable development.

By Nazrin Sadigova