Capital

Ägypten

name: Cairo

geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: from the Arabic "al-Qahira," meaning "the victorious"

Citizenship

Ägypten

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: if the father was born in Egypt

dual citizenship recognized: only with prior permission from the government

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Legal system

Ägypten

mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court

Suffrage

Ägypten

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Area

Ägypten

total: 1,001,450 sq km

land: 995,450 sq km

water: 6,000 sq km

Land use

Ägypten

agricultural land: 3.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.1% (2018 est.)

other: 96.3% (2018 est.)

Location

Ägypten

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

Age structure

Ägypten

0-14 years: 34.37% (male 19,381,371/female 18,271,080)

15-64 years: 60.27% (male 33,921,778/female 32,102,087)

65 years and over: 5.36% (2023 est.) (male 2,976,765/female 2,893,639)

Birth rate

Ägypten

20.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Ägypten

4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Ägypten

Arabic (official), English, and French widely understood by educated classes

major-language sample(s):
كتاب حقائق العالم، أفضل مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Ägypten

total population: 74.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 73.5 years

female: 76 years

Major urban areas - population

Ägypten

22.183 million CAIRO (capital), 5.588 million Alexandria, 778,000 Bur Sa'id (2023)

Median age

Ägypten

total: 24.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 24.1 years

female: 24.1 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Ägypten

22.6 years (2014 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Ägypten

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Ägypten

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

Population growth rate

Ägypten

1.59% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Ägypten

2.76 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Ägypten

urban population: 43.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Ägypten

2.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Ägypten

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2018)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Ägypten

-8.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Ägypten

-1.09% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Ägypten

30.179 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Ägypten

32.5% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Ägypten

9.33% (2021 est.)

9.17% (2020 est.)

7.84% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Ägypten

103% of GDP (2017 est.)

96.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Ägypten

5.21% (2021 est.)

5.04% (2020 est.)

9.15% (2019 est.)

Exports

Ägypten

$58.339 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$40.102 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$53.523 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Ägypten

United States 8%, Turkey 7%, Greece 7%, Italy 6%, India 5% (2021)

Imports

Ägypten

$94.039 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$72.482 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$78.951 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Ägypten

China 18%, Saudi Arabia 9%, United States 6%, Russia 5%, Turkey 5% (2021)

Airports

Ägypten

83 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Ägypten

total: 9,349,469 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Ägypten

total: 79.2 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)

Railways

Ägypten

total: 5,085 km (2014)

standard gauge: 5,085 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified)

Roadways

Ägypten

total: 65,050 km (2018)

paved: 48,000 km (2018)

unpaved: 17,050 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Ägypten

total subscriptions: 11,030,900 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Ägypten

total subscriptions: 103,449,427 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 95 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Ägypten

3,500 km (2018) (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)

Disputes - international

Ägypten

Egypt-Gaza Strip: constructed a barrier and established a buffer zone on its border with Gaza to halt the passage of weapons and militants through cross-border smuggling tunnels and pressure the Palestinian HAMAS terrorist group that runs the Gaza Strip

Egypt-Ethiopia: Ethiopia's construction of a large dam (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile in northern Ethiopia since 2011 has become a focal point of relations with Egypt and Sudan; Egypt has described the giant hydroelectric project as an existential threat because of its potential to control the flow of the river that is a key source of water for the country; Ethiopia completed filling the dam in 2023