Map of Egypt | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3,200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. Arab conquerors introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Egypt gained partial independence from the UK in 1922 and acquired full sovereignty from Britain in 1952. British forces evacuated the Suez Canal Zone in 1956. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have reaffirmed the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's fast-growing population as it implements large-scale infrastructure projects, energy cooperation, and foreign direct investment appeals.


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Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula

Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1,001,450 km²
Land: 995,450 km²
Water: 6,000 km²
Comparative: more than eight times the size of Ohio; slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,612 km
Border countries: (4) Gaza Strip 13 km; Israel 208 km; Libya 1,115 km; Sudan 1,276 km

Coastline: 2,450 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or the equidistant median line with Cyprus
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Elevation
Highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
Mean elevation: 321 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc

Land use
Agricultural land: 3.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Other: 96.3% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 36,500 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 10.75 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 5.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 61.35 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 57.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes; flash floods; landslides; hot, driving windstorms called khamsin occur in spring; dust storms; sandstorms

Geography
Note note: controls Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees from Sudan and the Palestinian territories


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Population
Distribution: approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited as shown in this [link]: 109,546,720 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.59% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 32.5% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Egyptian(s)
Adjective: Egyptian

Ethnic groups: Egyptian 99.7%, other 0.3% (2006 est.)
Note: data represent respondents by nationality

Languages: Arabic (official), English, and French widely understood by educated classes
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10%

Demographic profile: Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world and the third-most-populous country in Africa, behind Nigeria and Ethiopia. Most of the country is desert, so about 95% of the population is concentrated in a narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile River, which represents only about 5% of Egypt’s land area. Egypt’s rapid population growth - 46% between 1994 and 2014 - stresses limited natural resources, jobs, housing, sanitation, education, and health care.

Age structure
0-14 years: 34.37% (male 19,381,371/female 18,271,080)
15-64 years: 60.27% (male 33,921,778/female 32,102,087)
65 years and over: 5.36% (2023 est.) (male 2,976,765/female 2,893,639)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 60.8
Youth dependency ratio: 53.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
Potential support ratio: 13 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 24.1 years
Female: 24.1 years

Population growth rate: 1.59% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 20.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: approximately 95% of the population lives within 20 km of the Nile River and its delta; vast areas of the country remain sparsely populated or uninhabited as shown in this [link]

Urbanization
Urban population: 43.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 22.183 million CAIRO (capital), 5.588 million Alexandria, 778,000 Bur Sa'id (2023)

Environment
Current issues: agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 63.16 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 238.56 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 59.68 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.6 years (2014 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 17 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 18.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 73.5 years
Female: 76 years

Total fertility rate: 2.76 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 58.5% (2014)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.7% of population
Improved rural: 99.7% of population
Improved total: 99.7% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.3% of population
Unimproved rural: 0.3% of population
Unimproved total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.75 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 32% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 24.3% (2020 est.)
Male: 48.1% (2020 est.)
Female: 0.4% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 7% (2014)

Education expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 73.1%
Male: 78.8%
Female: 67.4% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years (2018)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 24.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 15.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 59.5%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
Conventional short form: Egypt
Local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
Local short form: Misr
Former: United Arab Republic (short-lived unification with Syria)
Etymology: the English name "Egypt" derives from the ancient Greek name for the country "Aigyptos"; the Arabic name "Misr" can be traced to the ancient Akkadian "misru" meaning border or frontier

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Cairo
Geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in October
Etymology: from the Arabic "al-Qahira," meaning "the victorious"

Administrative divisions: 27 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Uqsur (Luxor), Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina' (South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Suhaj

Dependent areas

Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the military-led revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956); note - it was ca. 3,200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically

National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest approved by a constitutional committee in December 2013, approved by referendum held on 14-15 January 2014, ratified by interim president on 19 January 2014
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by one fifth of the House of Representatives members; a decision to accept the proposal requires majority vote by House members; passage of amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote by House members and passage by majority vote in a referendum; articles of reelection of the president and principles of freedom are not amendable unless the amendment "brings more guarantees;" amended 2019

Legal system: mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; judicial review of the constitutionality of laws by the Supreme Constitutional Court

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: if the father was born in Egypt
Dual citizenship recognized: only with prior permission from the government
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Abdelfattah ELSISI (since 8 June 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mostafa MADBOULY (since 7 June 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet ministers nominated by the executive branch and approved by the House of Representatives
Elections/appointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 6-year term (eligible for 3 consecutive terms); election last held on 26-28 March 2018 (next to be held 10 to 12 December 2023); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by the House of Representatives; note - following a constitutional amendment approved by referendum in April 2019, the presidential term was extended from 4 to 6 years and eligibility extended to 3 consecutive terms
Election results: Abdelfattah ELSISI reelected president in first round; percent of valid votes cast - Abdelfattah ELSISI (independent) 97.1%, Moussa Mostafa MOUSSA (El Ghad Party) 2.9%; note - more than 7% of ballots cast were deemed invalid

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) (consists of the court president and 10 justices); the SCC serves as the final court of arbitration on the constitutionality of laws and conflicts between lower courts regarding jurisdiction and rulings; Court of Cassation (CC) (consists of the court president and 550 judges organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the CC is the highest appeals body for civil and criminal cases, also known as "ordinary justices"; Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) (consists of the court president and NA judges and organized in circuits with cases heard by panels of 5 judges); the SAC is the highest court of the State Council
Judge selection and term of office: under the 2014 constitution, all judges and justices selected and appointed by the Supreme Judiciary Council and approved as a formality by the president of the Republic; judges appointed for life; under the 2019 amendments, the president has the power to appoint heads of judiciary authorities and courts, the prosecutor general, and the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; courts of limited jurisdiction; Family Court (established in 2004)

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BRICS, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CD, CICA, COMESA, D-8, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, LCBC (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Motaz Mounir ZAHRAN (since 17 September 2020)
In the us chancery: 3,521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 895-5,400; [1] (202) 895-5,408
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 244-5,131; [1] (202) 244-4,319
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Herro MUSTAFA GARG (since November 2023)
From the us embassy: 5 Tawfik Diab St., Garden City, Cairo
From the us mailing address: 7,700 Cairo Place, Washington DC 20,512-7,700
From the us telephone: [20-2] 2,797-3,300
From the us FAX: [20-2] 2,797-3,200
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)
Note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band; Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; and Yemen, which has a plain white band

National symbols: golden eagle, white lotus; national colors: red, white, black

National anthem
Name: "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady" (My Homeland, My Homeland, My Homeland)
Lyrics/music: Younis-al QADI/Sayed DARWISH
Note: adopted 1979; the current anthem, less militaristic than the previous one, was created after the signing of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel; Sayed DARWISH, commonly considered the father of modern Egyptian music, composed the anthem

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 7 (6 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: Africa’s second-largest economy; 2,030 Vision to diversify markets and energy infrastructure; improving fiscal, external, and current accounts; underperforming private sector; poor labor force participation; expanded credit access

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 86.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 10.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 14.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 16.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -28.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 34.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 54% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar cane, sugar beets, wheat, maize, tomatoes, rice, potatoes, oranges, onions, milk

Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures

Industrial production growth rate: -1.09% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 30.179 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 24.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 15.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 59.5%

Population below poverty line: 32.5% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 31.5 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 4%
Highest 10%: 26.6% (2008)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $71.16 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $100.318 billion (2020 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -8.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 17.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:
Note: data cover central government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.15% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: United States 8%, Turkey 7%, Greece 7%, Italy 6%, India 5% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, natural gas, nitrogen fertilizers, gold (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 18%, Saudi Arabia 9%, United States 6%, Russia 5%, Turkey 5% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, wheat, cars, crude petroleum, corn, packaged medicines (2021)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 59.826 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 149,079,120,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 360 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 74 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 33.623 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 88.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 2.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 262,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 2.31 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 86,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 2.134 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 16 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 660,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 810,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 204,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 117,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 3.3 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 547,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 47,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 280,200 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 64,292,955,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 58,176,781,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 5,009,100,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 83.563 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 1,783,958,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 235.137 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 8.728 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 112.281 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 114.128 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 40.063 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11.6 million (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 103,449,427 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 95 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: mix of state-run and private broadcast media; state-run TV operates 2 national and 6 regional terrestrial networks, as well as a few satellite channels; dozens of private satellite channels and a large number of Arabic satellite channels are available for free; some limited satellite services are also available via subscription; state-run radio operates about 30 stations belonging to 8 networks; privately-owned radio includes 8 major stations, 4 of which belong to 1 network (2019)

Internet
Country code: .eg
Users total: 79.2 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 9,349,469 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF): Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Coast Guard), Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Border Guard Forces; Interior Ministry: Public Security Sector Police, the Central Security Force, National Security Agency (2023)
Note 1: the Public Security Sector Police are responsible for law enforcement nationwide; the Central Security Force protects infrastructure and is responsible for crowd control; the National Security Agency is responsible for internal security threats and counterterrorism along with other security services
Note 2: in addition to its external defense duties, the EAF also has a mandate to assist police in protecting vital infrastructure during a state of emergency; military personnel were granted full arrest authority in 2011 but normally only use this authority during states of emergency and “periods of significant turmoil”

Military service age and obligation: voluntary enlistment possible from age 16 for men and 17 for women; 18-30 years of age for conscript service for men; service obligation 14-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation; active service length depends on education; high school drop-outs serve for the full 36 months, while college graduates serve for lesser periods of time, depending on their education (2023)
Note: conscripts are estimated to comprise over half of the military, as well as a considerable portion of the Central Security Force

Space program
Overview: has a growing program with a focus on developing the capabilities to manufacture satellites and associated support infrastructure; seeks to become a regional space power; operates satellites; builds satellites jointly with foreign partners but developing localized satellite manufacturing capabilities; acquiring through technology transfers and domestic development programs other space-related technologies, including those related to communications, Earth imaging/remote sensing (RS), and satellite payloads and components; cooperating on space-related issues with a variety of foreign governments and commercial space companies, including those of Belarus, Canada, China, the European Space Agency and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Italy), Ghana, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, the UAE, and the US; also a member of the Arab Space Coordination Group, established by the UAE in 2019; has a commercial space sector that focuses on satellite communications, satellite design and production, RS, and space applications (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Army of Islam; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Sinai Province (ISIS-SP); al-Qa’ida
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 14 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 101
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,340,832 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 437.63 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: SU

Airports: 83 (2021)
With paved runways: 72
With paved runways civil airports: 17
With paved runways military airports: 21
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 3
With paved runways other airports: 31
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 11
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 7 (2021)

Pipelines: 486 km condensate, 74 km condensate/gas, 7,986 km gas, 957 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,225 km oil, 37 km oil/gas/water, 895 km refined products, 65 km water (2013)

Railways
Total: 5,085 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 5,085 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified)

Roadways
Total: 65,050 km (2018)
Paved: 48,000 km (2018)
Unpaved: 17,050 km (2018)

Waterways: 3,500 km (2018) (includes the Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in Nile Delta; the Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) is navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m)

Merchant marine
Total: 436 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 15, container ship 6, general cargo 27, oil tanker 41, other 347

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Mediterranean Sea - Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Port Said
Oil terminals: Ain Sukhna terminal, Sidi Kerir terminal
Container ports teus: Port Said (East) (4,764,583) (2021)
Lng terminals export:


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 70,021 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2022); 52,446 (Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 20,970 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 21,105 (Eritrea) (refugees and asylum seekers), 15,585 (Ethiopia) (refugees and asylum seekers), 10,025 (Yemen) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,815 (Iraq) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,802 (Somalia) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2022); 310,000 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 152,973 (Syria) (2023)
Stateless persons: 10 (2022)

Illicit drugs: major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics