Total population of Egypt 2023, by governorate

As of January 1, 2023, the aggregate Egyptian population was estimated at almost 104.5 million inhabitants. The capital city, Cairo, was the most populated area in the country, with 10.2 million residents. Moreover, the governorate of Giza followed, with up to 9.46 million people living in the area. South Sinai was the least inhabited governorate in the nation. The touristic region had a mere 115,000 people actively residing in the governorate. 

A scarcely populated area and a populous capital

Egypt has a total area of close to 1.01 million square kilometers. Yet, only around 105,200 square kilometers of the country are inhabited, representing only around 10.5 percent of the available landmass. Most of the Egyptian population lives along the Nile River due to the majority of the land being a desert. In fact, El Wadi ElGidid, also known as New Valley governorate, located in the south of Egypt's Western Desert, covers almost 42.3 percent of the country. Notably, the population density in Cairo was higher compared to the other governorates at over 5,610 people per square kilometer. 

Population growth and a New Administrative Capital

     Since 1952, the country’s population faced a rapid increase growing from close to 21.5 million to current levels. Between 2012 and 2022, the population growth of Egypt was highest in 2014 at nearly 2.34 percent, dropping yearly ever since. In March 2015, Egypt’s current Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who was at that time Minister of Housing and Urban Utilities, announced the establishment of the New Administrative Capital. One of the fundamental goals is to decrease the current overpopulation in Greater Cairo and its inability to absorb a fast-growing population.