The Population Growth in Egypt: From Health Perspective Challenges to Comprehensive Solutions

Abstract

Egypt faces a major challenge due to its rapid population growth, which strains economic resources and the healthcare system. The growth rate of 2.56% from 2006 to 2017 far exceeds the economic growth needed to support it. Even though life expectancy has improved and mortality rates have decreased, high birth rates remain a significant obstacle. The country's large youth population could offer a demographic advantage, but this is offset by a rising dependency ratio. Several health-related challenges are currently faced by the country, including high out-of-pocket spending, uneven distribution of health services, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Despite the challenges, the government successfully maintained several ongoing health programs, initiated multiple national projects, and achieved significant international recognition for the milestones it reached. Egypt succeeded in eliminating a series of highly devastating infectious diseases and reducing the morbidities associated with various non-communicable diseases. The country also successfully implemented universal health coverage (UHC) in six governorates by 2025, out of 27 Egyptian governorates. Additionally, Egypt hosted multiple international conferences that contributed to the design and implementation of global, regional, and national population and health strategies. Recently, Egypt launched its National Population Strategy (2023-2030) and National Health Strategy (2024-2030), which outline plans to mitigate the risks of overpopulation and focus on improving health and well-being. These efforts are aligned with the initiation of several public health interventions that have successfully alleviated suffering from various endemic diseases. All these initiatives are crowned by the national project for human development, paving the way for healthy, efficient, and culturally rich generations. Although fertility rates have decreased significantly, Egypt continues to aim for these reductions to align with improvements in the Human Development Index and longer life expectancy.