Until January 2019, Egypt's elderly population had reached 6.5 million -- 3.5 million males and 3 million females, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).

 

The CAPMAS statement was made on Monday on the occasion of the International Day for Older Persons. According to the agency, the number of elderly Egyptians still working had reached 1.217 million, of whom 52.9 percent work in agriculture and fishing activities, nearly 17.5 percent work in the wholesale and retail trade sector, 4.7 percent work in the transportation and storage sector, and 24.9 percent work in other activities.

 

Last July, CAPMAS announced Egypt's population had reached 99 million.  

 

The International Day of Older Persons is observed on 1 October.

 

This year's theme is "The Journey to Age Equality" and its aim is to draw attention to the existence of old age inequalities and how this often results from the accumulation of disadvantages throughout life, and to highlight inter-generational risk of increased old age inequalities.