Inside the struggles shaping Egypt’s declining population growth rate and why families are rethinking parenthood
Two years ago, Sarah Ibrahim, 36, had her fallopian tubes tied. She didn’t want to risk any more unwanted pregnancies, as she and her husband, 39, were struggling to provide for their three children: an 11-year-old daughter and two sons, aged nine and seven.
Since giving birth to her last child, Sarah, who married 12 years ago, has had four abortions, blaming the frequent unplanned pregnancies on insufficient guidance from her gynaecologist.
“I feel guilty about these abortions,” Sarah tells The New Arab. In Islam, abortion is only allowed if a council of trustworthy doctors agrees that continuing the pregnancy would put the mother's life at risk.
Sarah, who holds a business degree but is currently not working, says supporting three children is a nightmare. Her husband works long hours, taking an additional low-level job at a shipping company on top of his administrative position at the Ministry of Culture to make ends meet.
This financial strain has only worsened due to a currency crisis, further exacerbated by the genocide in Gaza. The Central Bank of Egypt abandoned efforts to maintain a fixed exchange rate against the US dollar, opting instead for a flexible regime based on supply and demand.
This led to a sharp increase in inflation, which had already been rising for over a year. The pound’s value dropped by almost half, settling at LE 50.1 to the dollar, while incomes remained the same.
Dreams shattered
Like many other families in similar circumstances, Sarah was forced to move her daughter from a higher-tier public school to a regular one because the fees had risen from EGP 300 (GBP 4.50) to EGP 3,000 (GBP 45). With her husband’s monthly income of EGP 11,000 (GBP 164) from both jobs, Sarah could no longer afford the higher fees for her three children.
Sarah also spends EGP 2,000 (GBP 30) on private tuition for her children, EGP 1,500 (GBP 22) on utilities (electricity, cooking gas, and water), and another EGP 2,000 (GBP 30) to pay off a bank loan. These are just a few of the many expenses, not including food, transportation, and other essentials.
“I was an only child, and my husband has only one sister,” Sarah says. “We dreamed of having a big family, but the financial stress has turned our life into an endless nightmare.”
Sarah’s situation is not an isolated one. According to data released in April by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt recorded its lowest-ever population growth rate in the first quarter of 2025, at 1.34%.
CAPMAS also reported that 2024 saw the lowest birth rate in the country’s history, with just 2.41 births per woman, and fewer than 2 million births that year.
The government attributes this decline to its long-running efforts to raise awareness about family planning. However, many argue that the economic crisis, particularly high inflation, has played a bigger role. According to recent World Bank data, consumer price index inflation increased by 9.5%, rising from 24.1% in 2023 to 33.6% in 2024.