Egypt's population to reach 123M in 2032, average age of marriage 21 years old

CAIRO – 20 October 2021: It is expected that the population of Egypt increases to 123 million in 2032 if the level of childbearing decreases, but if not, the population would jump to 130 million, according to Hussein Abdel Aziz, advisor to the head of CAPMAS.

Abdel Aziz told MBC Misr on Tuesday that Egypt’s population has reached 102,526,000, where 26,000 babies were born in the past couple of days.

The average age at which an Egyptian gets married is 20 years old in the countryside and 22 in urban areas, which brings the average age of marriage in the country to 21, he said.

 Abdel Aziz added that although the legal age of marriage is 18, but some families marry their children off before turning 18. He emphasized that the culture f early marriage must change, and that families should let girls continue their education because there is a rate of girls below 18 dropping out of education.

Education would raise the awareness of girls and change their ideas about early marriage, leading to a reduction in marriage before the legal age, he continued.

According to a 2017 CAPMAS report, 10.6 million girls and women above 10 years of age are illiterate, making up 30.8 percent of Egyptian females. The percentage among males is 21.1.