Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) has revealed that the number of Egyptians looking to emigrate and who acquired the relevant status decreased by 47.4% in 2020. This meant that there was a decrease of 184 migrants who achieved the approval to emigrate in 2020, compared to 350 in 2019, due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On Sunday, CAPMAS published its annual bulletin of Egyptians who obtained approval to emigrate abroad and Egyptians who obtained another nationality in 2020. It noted that the number of Egyptian emigrants who obtained the approval stood at 153, and 31 accompanying family members. It pointed out that the US was the most popular destination for emigrants who obtained approval to emigrate abroad, with their number reaching 65 emigrants, accounting for 35.3% of the total. The number of Egyptian male emigrants who obtained permission and who acquired the status of emigrant abroad reached 159, a rate of 86.4%, whilst female emigrants accounted for 25% of the total, or 13.6%. CAPMAS said that emigrants holding university qualifications accounted for 79 of the total, a rate of 46.2%. Meanwhile, those dependents of school-age accompanying the emigrants, classed in the age group of 10 years or more, numbered 171. Emigrants in the 35-39 age group come first in terms of the number of Egyptians who obtained approval to emigrate and who acquired emigrant status abroad. Their number reached 41 emigrants, reflecting 22.3% of the total. There was a 0.2% decrease in the number of Egyptians who acquired foreign nationalities in 2020. CAPMAS pointed out that the number of Egyptians who acquired a foreign nationality reached 2,611 in 2020, compared to 2,616 Egyptians in 2019. A total of 1,213 Egyptians obtained permission to naturalise while retaining their Egyptian nationality, reflecting 46.5% of the total. Meanwhile, 1,398 Egyptians obtained permission to naturalise without keeping Egyptian nationality, reflecting 53.3% of the total.
