Egypt's Cabinet expects the country's population growth rate to almost halve in the five years leading up to 2052, when the population is projected to reach over 153 million. Population growth is forecasted to ease into 0.85% in 2047-2052 from 1.99% in 2017-2022, a drop of around 43%, the cabinet said in a statement Friday marking World Population Day. The cabinet said that the birthrate in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, would drop by 2052 to 13.5 births per 1,000 people from 24.5 births last year. The government's official statistics authority, CAPMAS, puts the current population count at about 99 million. As Egypt's population closes on 100 million, the government is pursuing efforts to curb the rapid growth. It is undertaking a broad urban development strategy, dubbed Egypt 2052, to carry out major infrastructure development and build 14 new cities to tackle the rapid rise in population and alleviate pressure in densely-populated areas. In March, Egypt launched the National Population Strategy, a project funded by a 27-million-euro grant from the European Union to promote family planning. Late last year, the social solidarity ministry launched the “Two Is Enough” programme, a major government family-planning campaign that aims to challenge traditions of large families in Egyptian rural areas. Source: Ahram Online
