Egypt’s census to reach 119.8 million by 2030: CPAMAS

CAIRO – 26 February 2021: The population of Egypt will reach 119.8 million by 2030 to be equal to the census of 15 European countries, according to the latest data issued by the national Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on Friday.

The data showed that this number equals the population of 15 European countries (Netherlands 17 9 million people, Belgium 12 million, Sweden 11.2 million, Greece 10.8 million, the Czech Republic 10.7 million, Hungary 9.6 million, Switzerland 9.5 million, Austria 9.3 million People, Denmark 6.1 million, Norway 5.9 million, Finland 5.8 million, Ireland 5.5 million, Croatia 3.9 million, Luxembourg 0.7 million, and Iceland 0.4 million).

On the Arab level, the population of Egypt in 2030 will be equal to the number of populations of 14 Arab countries: Palestine 6.2 million people, Mauritania 6.1 million, Oman 5.8 million, Lebanon 5.5 million, Kuwait 4.9 million, Qatar 3.2 million, Bahrain 1.9 million, islands Moon 1.1 million people, and Djibouti 1.1 million people.

Last week, theCAPMAS released a study Wednesday indicating that Egypt ranks first among Arab countries in population size, and third on the African continent.

The study is based on a global ranking indicating that the North African Arab state ranks 14th globally in that regard for it has a population of over 100 million.

The study comes in light of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's statements made Tuesday while inaugurating a number of healthcare establishments on the risks of overpopulation.

“We won’t feel the impact of public spending [on national projects and infrastructure] unless annual population growth is cut to 400,000 [from 2.4 million],” the president stated.

"For the 100 million Egyptians to feel the impact of development programs accomplished, our annual GDP must be $100 trillion which is beyond our capacity," President Sisi added.

In that context, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed warned of overpopulation saying that the cost of establishing a hospital - whose capacity is 100 beds - is LE1 billion, and that the cost of an ambulance vehicle is LE1.5 million.

Since family planning is key to manage the crisis, Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine al-Qabaj stated that five million visits were made to 750,000 rural women to raise their awareness on family planning within “Two Are Enough” campaign.

In her speech before the president during the inauguration of a number of healthcare projects Tuesday, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said presented different scenarios pertinent to possible rates of population growth.