Egypt's population is officially set to reach 84.743 million by World Population Day this Thursday, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics told state-run news agency MENA on Tuesday. This reflects an increase from 2006's figure of 72.8 million, and 2009's figure of 76.1 million. Total population reached 83.7 million by the beginning of 2013, representing a 10.9 million person increase since 2006. The agency added that men make up 51.1% of Egypt's population, with women making up the remaining 48.9%, while 43% of the population live in urban areas, according to reported released in early 2013. Cairo was reported as the largest of Egypt's governorates, with a total population of 8.9million, compared to 162,000 in Southern Sinai, the country's smallest governorate. The agency further stated that Egypt was a relatively young society, with those under the age of 14 making up 31%, or nearly one third of the country's population, while those over the age of 65 represented just over 4.4% of the population, bringing the country's age dependency ratio to 55.1% by the beginning of 2013. The agency further pointed to an increase in population density throughout Egypt, from 71.5 people per 2 square kilometres in 2006 to 83.9 people per two kilometres in 2013. Average life expectancy for men was reported at 66.5 years in 2006, with this number increasing to 69.4 in 2013, while that of women increased from 69.1 in 2006 to 72.1 in 2013. The rate of births per 1,000 citizens was reported at 25.7 in 2006, increasing to 31.9 in 2012, while the rate of deaths per 1,000 citizens also increased slightly from 6.3 in 2006 to 6.4 in 2012. The agency stated that Egypt's workforce totaled 27 million people, or 32% of the population, of whom 20.9 million are men, and 6.1 million women. Based on these numbers, women make up roughly 22.4% of the country's workforce. Unemployment was officially recorded at 12.7%, with that amongst women being 24.1%, and that amongst men being 9.3%. Official illiteracy rates for people over the age of 10 were recorded at 24.9%, with that amongst women being recorded at 32.5%, and that amongst men being 17.6%. Fertility rates for women were recorded at 2.9 children per woman in 2012, a slight decrease from a total of 3 per woman in 2008. Child mortality rates per 1,000 citizens also decreased from 24.5 in 2008 to 24 in 2012. The Agency stated that this points to an improvement in medical services being provided throughout Egypt, increased efficiency in distribution of vaccinations throughout the country, in addition to increased awareness on the part of mothers of the importance of health care for children, particularly in poverty stricken regions. The Agency further stated however that use of family planning instruments has decreased slightly for married women between the ages of 15 and 49 from 60.3% in 2008 to 60% in 2012. Death rates of mothers per 1,000 citizens was reported to have decreased from 63 in 2005 to 50 in 2012, reflecting an increased interest in the health of Egyptian mothers, in addition to the improved distribution of health and medical services to citizens, particularly in poverty stricken regions. These last statistics were drawn from recent data collected by Egypt's National Information Center within the Ministry of Health.
