Egypt birth rate falls below 2 mln threshold for 1st time since 2007

Ahram Online , Thursday 30 Jan 2025

Egypt's annual birth rate fell below the two-million threshold in 2024 for the first time since 2007, official statistics showed.

Cairo
People crowd at street in Cairo. AP

 

According to an annual report released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on Thursday, the country recorded 1,9 newborns in 2024, down 3.8 percent from 2,045,000 the previous year.

The highest number of births occurred in 2014, with 2,720,000 newborns.

The report noted that births gradually decreased between 2015 and 2023, but the figure remained above the two million mark until this year.

A CAPMAS breakdown of the 2024 birth data reveals an average of 164,028 births per month, 5,378 per day, 224 per hour, and 3.73 per minute – roughly one birth every 16 seconds in Egypt.

The birth rate in 2024 stood at 18.5 per 1,000 people, down from 19.4 per 1,000 in 2023.

The total fertility rate — the average number of children born to a woman during her reproductive years — also declined to 2.41 in 2024, compared to 2.54 in 2023.

According to the report, Upper Egypt — Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Minya, and Beni Suef — registered the highest births, accounting for 45 percent of all newborns despite only representing 39 percent of the population. 

These areas exceeded the national average, registering rates of 23.9, 23.6, 22.7, 22.5, and 21.1 births per 1,000 people, respectively.

The five governorates held the top spots in 2023 as well.

Meanwhile, Port Said, Damietta, Dakahliya, Gharbiya, and Suez recorded the lowest birth rates.

These governorates all fell below the national average, with rates of 11.8, 14.5, 14.9, 14.9, and 15.2 births per 1,000 people, respectively. 

CAPMAS also reported a 4.4 percent increase in the country’s annual death rate, with 610,000 fatalities recorded in 2024 compared to 583,000 in 2023.

The mortality rate rose slightly to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 people, up from 5.5 in 2023.

Natural growth
 

Furthermore, Egypt’s natural population growth — the difference between births and deaths — declined by 7 percent in 2024, reaching 1.359 million compared to 1.462 million in 2023.

Upper Egypt again led in natural growth rates, with Assiut, Sohag, Minya, Qena, and Beni Suef recording the highest figures.

Meanwhile, Port Said, Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, and Gharbia reported the lowest rates.

Despite the slowdown in population growth, CAPMAS warned that population growth remains a significant obstacle to improving living standards, particularly in the face of global economic crises and domestic challenges.

Taming overpopulation
 

In recent years, the country – currently the 14th most populous country worldwide, with over 107 million population – has launched several campaigns and programmes to curb runaway population growth.

The Egyptian government spends millions of Egyptian pounds annually to provide birth control for free or at lowered prices.

In September 2023, it launched the 2023-2030 National Population and Development Strategy, the latest in a series of steps the country has taken to address the population issue.

In March 2023, the country also launched the National Project for Development of the Egyptian Family (NPDEF) to tackle overpopulation out of a comprehensive vision, focusing on the health, social, family, and economic dimensions.

Under the NPDEF, the government provides an annual incentive of EGP 1,000 to married women with no more than two children.

In 2020, the government launched the Etnein Kefaya (Two Are Enough) campaign, which offered financial assistance to those who succeed in family planning.

The government says it aims to further reduce the fertility rate to 1.6 births per woman.

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