Poverty headcount ratio in Egypt 2018-2023

As of 2022, the poverty rate was projected at 27.9 percent in Egypt. This was nearly 0.7 percentage points less than the year before. Overall, from 2018 onwards, the poverty rate dropped to 29.2 percent in 2019, before increasing again to about 32 percent in 2020. Since 2020, projected poverty rates have followed a declining trend. They are expected to decrease further in 2023. The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic contributed to the increase of the poverty rate in 2020.

Adjusted national poverty lines

    National poverty lines are calculated based on consumption patterns of households in the country and are therefore adjustable over the years. Egypt’s national poverty line stood at 10,300 Egyptian pounds (comparable to 561.91 U.S. dollars) annually as of 2019/2020. This was an increase from 3,100 Egyptian pounds (169.12 U.S. dollars) ten years prior. In November 2016, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) declared that it fully floated the Egyptian pound, causing the currency devaluation.  

Poverty more prevalent among larger households

     Poverty rates in the country were higher in households with more individuals. In households with ten or more members, the rate was as high as 80.6 percent in 2019/2020. On the other hand, the poverty rate was significantly lower among households with one to three members. Moreover, Rural Egypt had a higher share of population considered poor compared to Urban Egypt. In fact, in its rural areas in Upper Egypt, the poverty rate reached nearly 43 percent.