In a statement on Wednesday, CAPMAS said the population in Cairo, the country’s most populous governorate, reached 10.2 million, followed by Giza at 9.5 million, Sharqiya at 7.9 million, Daqahliya at 7 million, and Beheira at 6.8 million.

The Upper Egypt governorates of Minya and Sohag have the sixth and eighth highest populations at 6.3 million and 5.7 million respectively.

Qalioubiya is the seventh most populous governorate at 6.1 million, and Alexandria is the ninth at 5.5 million. The population in Gharbiya reached 5.4 million by the end of the year.

Approximately 10-14 million Egyptians live abroad, according to official estimates from January 2022.

Previously, CAPMAS says that the country’s population could reach 192 million people by 2052 if current growth rates continue. However, it says that this projection could be reduced to 143 million if state efforts to reduce fertility rates are intensified.

Government officials have said that the state will need to double its spending on infrastructure projects and development over the coming 30 years to accommodate the expected growth.

In recent years, the country has launched several campaigns and programmes to curb runaway population growth, spending over EGP 100 million (approximately $5.2 million) annually to provide birth control for free or at lowered prices.

In August, CAPMAS reported a 20 percent drop in the fertility rate in Egypt, from 3.5 births per woman in 2014 to 2.8 in 2021.

Egypt aims to further reduce the fertility rate to 1.6 births per woman, according to adviser to the chairman of CAPMAS Hussein Abdel-Aziz.

The United Nations Population Division defines any rate below 2.1 births per woman as below replacement level.