Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt has recorded a significant population increase, adding a quarter of a million people in just two months, according to the latest figures released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). As of today, the population living inside Egypt has reached 108.25 million, up from 108 million recorded on August 16.
The surge highlights the continued pressure of population growth on Egypt’s infrastructure, economy, and public services an issue that remains one of the country’s most persistent development challenges.
Population Concentrated in Key Urban Centers
The new data revealed that Cairo remains the most populous governorate, with 10.5 million residents. Giza follows closely with 9.8 million, and Sharqia (Al Sharqiyah) ranks third at 8.1 million. Other heavily populated areas include:
- Dakahlia: 7.2 million
- Beheira: 7.1 million
- Minya: 6.6 million
- Qalyubia: 6.3 million
- Sohag: 6 million
- Alexandria and Gharbia: 5.6 million each
Additional data show Assiut at 5.3 million, Monufia with 4.9 million, and Fayoum at 4.2 million. Kafr El-Sheikh and Qena each have populations of approximately 3.8 million, while Beni Suef stands at 3.7 million.
Least Populous Governorates
On the opposite end of the spectrum, several border and coastal regions remain sparsely populated:
- Aswan and Damietta: 1.7 million each
- Ismailia and Luxor: 1.5 million each
- Suez: 810,800
- Port Said: 802,500
- Matrouh: 589,900
- North Sinai: 473,400
- Red Sea: 416,600
- New Valley (Al Wadi Al Jadid): 274,900
- South Sinai: 119,100 — the lowest population of all governorates
Implications of Rapid Growth
Egypt’s population has long been a central concern for policymakers. The country, which already faces significant economic pressures including rising inflation, youth unemployment, and water scarcity, now must contend with the added challenge of accommodating hundreds of thousands of new residents in just a matter of weeks.
Experts warn that unless robust population management strategies and long-term development plans are implemented, the rapid growth could undermine national efforts to improve living standards, education, healthcare, and job creation.
Despite public awareness campaigns and government-backed family planning initiatives, population growth continues to outpace projections. With Egypt adding 250,000 people in just two months averaging more than 4,000 new citizens per day the demographic trajectory suggests that the country could face intensified strain on resources in the near future.
A Persistent Policy Challenge
Successive Egyptian governments have identified overpopulation as a national security issue, yet progress in addressing the root causes including poverty, limited access to education, especially for women, and cultural preferences for large families has remained slow.
As Egypt continues to navigate a complex socio-economic landscape, today’s numbers serve as yet another reminder that population growth is not just a demographic statistic, but a defining challenge for the country’s future.
