#202: Egypt's population pyramid problem
#202: Egypt's population pyramid problem
Egypt’s population grew by 1.6 million in 2022, leading many to be concerned about overpopulation
President El-Sisi has spoken out on the severity of the issue, even bringing China as an example of population control
Then, let’s take a look into what can be done policy-wise
Exponential growth
This is Egypt’s population pyramid as of this year. Even from a glance, we can see that about a fifth of the population is not even an adult yet. What’s more, the rate of growth is quite alarming
Population growth is not necessarily a bad thing, but population growth that is more rapid than the country’s infrastructure can handle? That could spell catastrophe
Words from the president
This is the reason President El-Sisi addressed this issue at the Global Congress on Population, Health, and Development (PHDC 2023)
He highlighted that at the current population growth rate, Egypt’s infrastructure and services may not be able to catch up
Stressing the urgency of the problem, he said “[…] if this freedom (to have children) is not regulated, it can cause a disaster to the country”
Dangerous words, but most likely meant as hyperbole
El-Sisi also noted that an annual growth of 400,000 should be maintained for the next two decades
What can be done?
There are other cases where countries successfully tackled overpopulation
China, being the most famous, implemented the ‘one-child policy’ in the 1980s - which led to uneven sex ratios and dissent toward the government
South Korea also had many campaigns to curb population growth - but perhaps went too far as now they have a fertility rate of 0.7 (although, this is mainly due to other factors)
Egypt is currently launching its National Strategy for Population and Development
This would encompass reproductive rights, education, female empowerment, etc.
It is also a hopeful sign that the fertility rate dropped from a 2.85 in 2021 to 2.1 in 2023
We’ll have to see how much Egypt’s population grows, but also how their policies shape society in the years to come
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