A child is born every 13.5 seconds in Egypt: civil society

CAIRO – 13 December 2020: Chairman of the General Union for Civil Associations and Institutions Talaat Abdel Qawi stipulated Sunday that economic growth in Egypt has to be threefold that of the population given that a child is born every 13.5 seconds.

Abdel Qawi's statements came in a conference held to examine possible partnerships between the government and the civil society to curb population growth, given that the Egyptian population has surpassed 100 million, and mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.

Abdel Qawi warned that overpopulation is a threat to the security and safety of the country.

The union's chairman added that Egypt has been suffering from water poverty as a result showcasing that the annual water share per capita was 1,000 cubic meters when the population size was 65 million, and that is now 650 cubic meters. He highlighted that the overpopulation crisis is coupled with a wrong distribution of the population so as 95 percent of residents live on seven percent of Egypt's surface area.  

The activist shed light on the causes of overpopulation in Egypt saying that one is the economic conditions of low-income families where children are perceived as a source of income for they are forced to work since a very young age. Another reason is the desire to feel secure by having so many kids. Other reasons include patriarchy and illiteracy.  

For the first time in 20 years, the poverty rate declined in October 2020 to 29.5 percent from 31.2 percent in FY2017/2018. It is noted that Egypt is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa that achieved a positive growth in 2020 standing at 3.8 percent in FY2019/2020.