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Do not fill this in! == Demographics == {{Main|Demographics of Egypt|Egyptians}} [[File:Egypt 2010 population density1.png|thumb|Egypt's population density (people per km<sup>2</sup>)]] Egypt is the most populated country in the Arab world and the third most populous on the [[African continent]], with about 95 million inhabitants {{As of|2017|lc=y}}.<ref name="popclock">{{cite web |url=http://www.capmas.gov.eg/?lang=2 |title=Population Clock |date=27 April 2013 |publisher=[[Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics]] |access-date=27 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117121826/http://capmas.gov.eg/?lang=2 |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Its population grew rapidly from 1970 to 2010 due to [[History of medicine#Modern medicine|medical advances]] and increases in agricultural productivity<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6496585.stm |title=The limits of a Green Revolution? |work=BBC News |date=29 March 2007 |access-date=25 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728055441/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6496585.stm |archive-date=28 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> enabled by the [[Green Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web|author=admin |url=http://www.foodfirst.org/media/opeds/2000/4-greenrev.html |title=Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy |publisher=Foodfirst.org |date=8 April 2000 |access-date=25 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714215036/http://www.foodfirst.org/media/opeds/2000/4-greenrev.html |archive-date=14 July 2009 }}</ref> Egypt's population was estimated at 3 million when [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]] invaded the country in 1798.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/egypt/55.htm |title=Egypt – Population |publisher=Countrystudies.us |access-date=8 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117011712/http://countrystudies.us/egypt/55.htm |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Egypt's people are highly urbanised, being concentrated along the Nile (notably Cairo and Alexandria), in the Delta and near the Suez Canal. Egyptians are divided demographically into those who live in the major urban centres and the [[fellah]]in, or farmers, that reside in rural villages. The total inhabited area constitutes [http://citypopulation.de/Egypt-Cities.html only 77,041 km²], putting the [[physiological density]] at over 1,200 people per km<sup>2</sup>, similar to [[Bangladesh]]. While emigration was restricted under Nasser, thousands of Egyptian professionals were dispatched abroad in the context of the [[Arab Cold War]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tsourapas|first=Gerasimos|date=2 July 2016|title=Nasser's Educators and Agitators across al-Watan al-'Arabi: Tracing the Foreign Policy Importance of Egyptian Regional Migration, 1952–1967|journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies|volume=43|issue=3|pages=324–341|doi=10.1080/13530194.2015.1102708|s2cid=159943632|issn=1353-0194|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/21822/1/s1-ln210934022089525479-1939656818Hwf-2143436348IdV150395290621093402PDF_HI0001.pdf|access-date=7 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720132456/http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/21822/1/s1-ln210934022089525479-1939656818Hwf-2143436348IdV150395290621093402PDF_HI0001.pdf|archive-date=20 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Egyptian emigration was liberalised in 1971, under President Sadat, reaching record numbers after the 1973 oil crisis.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tsourapas|first=Gerasimos|date=10 November 2015|title=Why Do States Develop Multi-tier Emigrant Policies? Evidence from Egypt|journal=Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies|volume=41|issue=13|pages=2192–2214|doi=10.1080/1369183X.2015.1049940|s2cid=73675854|issn=1369-183X|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/20161/1/CJMS_A_1049940.pdf}}{{dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> An estimated 2.7 million Egyptians live abroad. Approximately 70% of Egyptian migrants live in Arab countries (923,600 in [[Saudi Arabia]], 332,600 in [[Libya]], 226,850 in [[Jordan]], 190,550 in [[Kuwait]] with the rest elsewhere in the region) and the remaining 30% reside mostly in Europe and North America (318,000 in the United States, 110,000 in Canada and 90,000 in Italy).<ref name="IOMEgypt">{{cite web|url=http://www.egypt.iom.int/Doc/IOM%20Migration%20and%20Development%20in%20Egypt%20Facts%20and%20Figures%20(English).pdf|publisher=International Organization for Migration|title=Migration and Development in Egypt: Facts and Figures|year=2010|access-date=21 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205011709/http://www.egypt.iom.int/Doc/IOM%20Migration%20and%20Development%20in%20Egypt%20Facts%20and%20Figures%20(English).pdf|archive-date=5 February 2011}}</ref> The process of emigrating to non-Arab states has been ongoing since the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=From Egypt to Europe : globalisation and migration across the Mediterranean|last=Simona.|first=Talani, Leila|date=1 January 2010|publisher=Tauris Academic Studies|oclc=650606660}}</ref> === Ethnic groups === Ethnic [[Egyptians]] are by far the largest ethnic group in the country, constituting 99.7% of the total population.<ref name=factbook /> Ethnic minorities include the [[Abaza people|Abazas]], [[Turkish people|Turks]], [[Greeks]], [[Bedouin]] Arab tribes living in the eastern deserts and the [[Sinai Peninsula]], the [[Berber language|Berber]]-speaking [[Siwis]] ([[Berber people|Amazigh]]) of the [[Siwa Oasis]], and the [[Nubian people|Nubian]] communities clustered along the Nile. There are also tribal [[Beja people|Beja]] communities concentrated in the southeasternmost corner of the country, and a number of [[Dom people|Dom]] clans mostly in the Nile Delta and [[Faiyum]] who are progressively becoming assimilated as urbanisation increases. Some 5 million immigrants live in Egypt, mostly [[Sudan]]ese, "some of whom have lived in Egypt for generations".<ref name="Karasapan">Omer Karasapan, [https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2016/10/04/who-are-the-5-million-refugees-and-immigrants-in-egypt/ Who are the 5 million refugees and immigrants in Egypt?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706130432/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2016/10/04/who-are-the-5-million-refugees-and-immigrants-in-egypt/ |date=6 July 2017 }}, Brookings Institution (4 October 2016).</ref> Smaller numbers of immigrants come from [[Iraq]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Somalia]], [[South Sudan]], and [[Eritrea]].<ref name="Karasapan" /> The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] estimated that the total number of "people of concern" (refugees, asylum seekers, and [[stateless people]]) was about 250,000. In 2015, the number of registered [[Syrian refugees in Egypt]] was 117,000, a decrease from the previous year.<ref name="Karasapan" /> Egyptian government claims that a half-million Syrian refugees live in Egypt are thought to be exaggerated.<ref name="Karasapan" /> There are 28,000 registered [[Sudanese refugees in Egypt]].<ref name="Karasapan" /> [[History of the Jews in Egypt|Jewish communities in Egypt]] have almost [[Jewish exodus from Arab lands|disappeared]]. Several important Jewish archaeological and historical sites are found in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities. === Languages === {{Main|Languages of Egypt}} The [[official language]] of the Republic is [[Modern Standard Arabic|Literary Arabic]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitutional Declaration 2011|url=http://www.egypt.gov.eg/english/laws/constitution/|website=Egyptian Government Services|access-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201095854/http://www.egypt.gov.eg/english/laws/constitution/|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[spoken language]]s are: [[Egyptian Arabic]] (68%), [[Sa'idi Arabic]] (29%), [[Bedawi Arabic|Eastern Egyptian Bedawi Arabic]]<!--don't reduce the name, there are many similar named dialects--> (1.6%), [[Sudanese Arabic]] (0.6%), [[Domari language|Domari]] (0.3%), [[Nobiin language|Nobiin]] (0.3%), [[Beja language|Beja]] (0.1%), [[Siwi language|Siwi]] and others.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} Additionally, [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[Italian language|Italian]], and more recently, African languages like [[Amharic language|Amharic]] and [[Tigrinya language|Tigrigna]] are the main languages of immigrants. The main foreign languages taught in schools, by order of popularity, are [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]] and [[Italian language|Italian]]. Historically [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] was spoken, the latest stage of which is [[Coptic language|Coptic Egyptian]]. Spoken Coptic was mostly extinct by the 17th century but may have survived in isolated pockets in [[Upper Egypt]] as late as the 19th century. It remains in use as the liturgical language of the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]].<ref name=extinct>The language may have survived in isolated pockets in [[Upper Egypt]] as late as the 19th century, according to James Edward Quibell, "When did Coptic become extinct?" in ''Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde'', 39 (1901), p. 87.</ref><ref name="Daily Star Egypt">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=106|title=Daily News Egypt – Full Article|date=21 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721071828/http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=106|archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> It forms a separate branch among the family of [[Afroasiatic languages]]. === Religion === {{Main|Religion in Egypt}} [[File:Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan (4).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan|Madrasa-Mosque of Sultan Hassan]]]] Egypt has the largest Muslim population in the [[Arab world]], and the [[Islam by country|sixth world's largest Muslim population]], and home for (5%) of the world's Muslim population.<ref name="PewDec2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/|title=The Global Religious Landscape|date=December 2012|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=5 November 2018}}</ref> Egypt also has the [[Christianity in the Middle East|largest Christian population]] in the [[Middle East and North Africa]].<ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=Analysis |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx |title=Global Christianity |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> Egypt is a predominantly [[Sunni]] Muslim country with [[Islam]] as its state religion. The percentage of adherents of various religions is a controversial topic in Egypt. An estimated 85–90% are identified as Muslim, 10–15% as [[Coptic Christians]], and 1% as other Christian denominations, although without a census the numbers cannot be known. Other estimates put the Christian population as high as 15–20%.{{efn|The population of Egypt is estimated as being 90% Muslim, 9% Coptic Christian and 1% other Christian, though estimates vary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/egypt/180843.htm|title=Background Note: Egypt|date=10 November 2010|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/egypt/|title=Egypt|date=4 September 2008|publisher=CIA|access-date=15 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-profiles/middle-east-north-africa/egypt|title=Egypt|date=27 January 2008|publisher=UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121212135632/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/country-profiles/middle-east-north-africa/egypt|archive-date=12 December 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> Microsoft Encarta Online similarly estimates the Sunni population at 90% of the total.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Egypt|publisher=Microsoft Encarta Online|url=http://encarta.msn.com/text_761557408___0/Egypt.html|date=30 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021003619/http://encarta.msn.com/text_761557408___0/Egypt.html|archive-date=21 October 2009}}</ref> The [[Pew Research Center|Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life]] gave a higher estimate of the Muslim population, at 94.6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf|title=Mapping The Global Muslim Population|publisher=Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life|page=8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010050756/http://pewforum.org/newassets/images/reports/Muslimpopulation/Muslimpopulation.pdf|archive-date=10 October 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=25 July 2011}}</ref> In 2017, the government-owned newspaper ''[[Al Ahram]]'' estimated the percentage of Christians at 10 to 15%.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/281789/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Sisi-meets-world-Evangelical-churches-deleg.aspx|title=Egypt's Sisi meets world Evangelical churches delegation in Cairo|work=Al Ahram|date=19 November 2017|author=Alhram Online|access-date=26 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504020907/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/281789/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Sisi-meets-world-Evangelical-churches-deleg.aspx|archive-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[Non-denominational Muslims]] form roughly 12% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/281789/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Sisi-meets-world-Evangelical-churches-deleg.aspx|title=Egypt's Sisi meets world Evangelical churches delegation in Cairo|website=english.ahram.org.eg|language=en|access-date=26 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504020907/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/281789/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Sisi-meets-world-Evangelical-churches-deleg.aspx|archive-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-1-religious-affiliation/#identity Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226113158/http://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-1-religious-affiliation/#identity |date=26 December 2016 }} retrieved 4 September 2013</ref> Egypt was a Christian country before the 7th century, and after Islam arrived, the country was gradually Islamised into a majority-Muslim country.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Encyclopedia Coptica: The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt|url = http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/|website = www.coptic.net|access-date = 6 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050831164722/http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/|archive-date = 31 August 2005|url-status=live|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = The Arab Conquest of Egypt|last = Butler|first = Alfred J.|publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 1978|isbn = 978-0-19-821678-0}}</ref> It is not known when Muslims reached a majority variously estimated from {{Circa|1000 CE}} to as late as the 14th century. Egypt emerged as a centre of politics and culture in the [[Muslim world]]. Under [[Anwar Sadat]], Islam became the official [[state religion]] and [[Sharia]] the main source of law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/egypt |title=Egypt |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]] |access-date=14 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220145046/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/egypt |archive-date=20 December 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is estimated that 15 million Egyptians follow Native Sufi [[Tariqah|orders]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/sufis%E2%80%99-choice-egypt%E2%80%99s-political-wild-card |title=The Sufis' Choice: Egypt's Political Wild Card |author=Kristin Deasy |publisher=World Affairs Journal |date=October 2012 |access-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724235845/http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/sufis%E2%80%99-choice-egypt%E2%80%99s-political-wild-card |archive-date=24 July 2013 |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref name=HuffPost15Million>{{cite news |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/sufis-in-egypt_n_3441037.html |title=Sufis In Egypt Thrive With More Than 15 Million Despite Attacks By Islamist Hardliners |author=Hassan Ammar |work=Huffington Post |date=14 June 2013 |access-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708021321/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/sufis-in-egypt_n_3441037.html |archive-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hoffman|first=Valerie J.|title=Sufism, Mystics, and Saints in Modern Egypt|year=1995|publisher=University of South Carolina Press}}</ref> with the [[Sufism|Sufi]] leadership asserting that the numbers are much greater as many Egyptian Sufis are not officially registered with a Sufi order.<ref name=HuffPost15Million /> At least 305 people were killed during a [[2017 Sinai mosque attack|November 2017 attack]] on a Sufi [[mosque]] in Sinai.<ref>Walsh, Declan, and Youssef, Nour, ''[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/24/world/middleeast/mosque-attack-egypt.html Militants Kill 305 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt's Deadliest Terrorist Attack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126223759/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/24/world/middleeast/mosque-attack-egypt.html |date=26 November 2017 }}'', The New York Times, 24 November 2017</ref> There is also a [[Shi'a]] minority. The [[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]] estimates the Shia population at 1 to 2.2 million<ref>{{cite web |author=Col. (ret.) Jacques Neriah |url=http://jcpa.org/article/egypts-shiite-minority-between-the-egyptian-hammer-and-the-iranian-anvil/ |title=Egypt's Shiite Minority: Between the Egyptian Hammer and the Iranian Anvil |publisher=[[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]] |date=23 September 2012 |access-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909234700/http://jcpa.org/article/egypts-shiite-minority-between-the-egyptian-hammer-and-the-iranian-anvil/ |archive-date=9 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> and could measure as much as 3 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/story/1107961/egypt-attack-on-shia-comes-at-dangerous-time |title=Egypt: Attack On Shia Comes At Dangerous Time |author=Tim Marshall |publisher=Sky News |date=25 June 2013 |access-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630001649/http://news.sky.com/story/1107961/egypt-attack-on-shia-comes-at-dangerous-time |archive-date=30 June 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Ahmadiyya]] population is estimated at less than 50,000,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmgkD3Hel5IC&pg=PA297|title=Between Heaven and Hell: Islam, Salvation, and the Fate of Others|author=Mohammad Hassan Khalil|date=2013|page=297 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-994541-2}}</ref> whereas the [[Salafi]] (ultra-conservative Sunni) population is estimated at five to six million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theweek.co.uk/politics/6073/what-salafism-and-should-we-be-worried |title=What is Salafism and should we be worried? |author=Venetia Rainey |publisher=Theweek.co.uk |date=20 April 2011 |access-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130711010603/http://www.theweek.co.uk/politics/6073/what-salafism-and-should-we-be-worried |archive-date=11 July 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Cairo]] is famous for its numerous mosque [[minaret]]s and has been dubbed "The City of 1,000 Minarets".<ref>{{cite news|title= Cairo: Welcome to the city of 1,000 minarets|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/africa/cairo-welcome-to-the-city-of-1000-minarets-692635.html|work= [[The Independent]]|location= London|author= Robin Barton|date= 19 February 2001|access-date= 26 August 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150925234721/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/africa/cairo-welcome-to-the-city-of-1000-minarets-692635.html|archive-date= 25 September 2015|url-status=live|df= dmy-all}}</ref> [[File:StMarkCathAlex.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (Alexandria)|St. Mark Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria]]]] Of the [[Christianity in Egypt|Christian population in Egypt]] over 90% belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an [[Oriental Orthodox]] Christian Church.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xrGL7o69KBIC&pg=PA145|title=Who are the Christians in the Middle East?|year=2009|publisher=Betty Jane Bailey |isbn=978-0-8028-1020-5}}</ref> Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the [[Coptic Catholic Church]], the [[Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile)|Evangelical Church of Egypt]] and various other [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria, such as the [[Syro-Lebanese in Egypt|Syro-Lebanese]], who belong to [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Greek Catholic]], [[Greek Orthodox]], and [[Maronite Catholic]] denominations.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Catholics in Egypt Reflect Church's Rich and Varied Traditions|magazine=L'Osservatore Romano|date=1 March 2000|pages=6–7|url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHISTORY/EGPTCATH.HTM|access-date=23 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125104510/http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHISTORY/EGPTCATH.HTM|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Egypt hosts the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]]. It was founded back in the first century, considered to be the largest church in the country. Egypt is also the home of [[Al-Azhar University]] (founded in 969 CE, began teaching in 975 CE), which is today the world's "most influential voice of establishment Sunni Islam" and is, by some measures, the second-oldest continuously operating university in the world.<ref>Indira Falk Gesink, ''Islamic Reform and Conservatism: Al-Azhar and the Evolution of Modern Sunni Islam'' (I.B.Tauris, 2014), p. 2.</ref> Egypt recognises only three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Other faiths and minority Muslim sects practised by Egyptians, such as the small [[Baháʼí Faith]] and [[Ahmadiyya]] communities, are not recognised by the state and face persecution by the government, which labels these groups a threat to Egypt's national security.<ref>{{cite news |last =al-Shahat |first =Abdel Moneim |title =Shahat: Baha'is threaten Egypt's national security |newspaper =Egypt Independent |date =18 February 2012 |url =http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/666371 |access-date =25 February 2012 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120220192155/http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/666371 |archive-date =20 February 2012 |url-status=live |df =dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{ cite news |url=https://www.persecutionofahmadis.org/egypt-ahmadis-detained-under-emergency-law-rights-group/ |title=Egypt Ahmadis detained under emergency law: rights group |date=14 May 2010 |access-date=4 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606215554/https://www.persecutionofahmadis.org/egypt-ahmadis-detained-under-emergency-law-rights-group/ |archive-date=6 June 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Individuals, particularly Baháʼís and atheists, wishing to include their religion (or lack thereof) on their mandatory state issued identification cards are denied this ability (see [[Egyptian identification card controversy]]), and are put in the position of either not obtaining required identification or lying about their faith. A 2008 court ruling allowed members of unrecognised faiths to obtain identification and leave the religion field blank.<ref name="International Religious Freedom Report 2008" /><ref name="reuters" /> === Education === {{Main|Education in Egypt}} [[File:CairoUniv.jpg|thumb|[[Cairo University]]]] [[File:UIS Literacy Rate Egypt population plus15 1980 2015.png|thumb|Egyptian literacy rate among the population aged 15 years and older by UNESCO Institute of Statistics]] The illiteracy rate has decreased since 1996 from 39.4 to 25.9 percent in 2013. The adult literacy rate {{as of|2014|July|lc=y}} was estimated at 73.9%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/egypt/literacy.html|title=Egypt Literacy|work=indexmundi.com|access-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913073546/http://www.indexmundi.com/egypt/literacy.html|archive-date=13 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The illiteracy rate is highest among those over 60 years of age being estimated at 64.9%, while illiteracy among youth between 15 and 24 years of age was listed at 8.6 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://egyptianstreets.com/2014/09/09/more-than-25-of-egypts-population-illiterate/|title=More than 25% of Egypt's population 'illiterate'|author=The Cairo Post|work=Egyptian Streets|date=9 September 2014|access-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729211442/http://egyptianstreets.com/2014/09/09/more-than-25-of-egypts-population-illiterate/|archive-date=29 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> A European-style education system was first introduced in Egypt by the Ottomans in the early 19th century to nurture a class of loyal bureaucrats and army officers.<ref name=edu-chatham /> Under British occupation investment in education was curbed drastically, and secular public schools, which had previously been free, began to charge fees.<ref name=edu-chatham /> In the 1950s, President Nasser phased in free education for all Egyptians.<ref name=edu-chatham /> The Egyptian curriculum influenced other Arab education systems, which often employed Egyptian-trained teachers.<ref name=edu-chatham /> Demand soon outstripped the level of available state resources, causing the quality of public education to deteriorate.<ref name=edu-chatham /> Today this trend has culminated in poor teacher–student ratios (often around one to fifty) and persistent gender inequality.<ref name=edu-chatham>{{cite web|title=Education in Egypt: Key Challenges|url=http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Middle%20East/0312egyptedu_background.pdf|publisher=Chatham House|date=March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224022844/http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Middle%20East/0312egyptedu_background.pdf|archive-date=24 December 2012}}</ref> Basic education, which includes six years of primary and three years of preparatory school, is a right for Egyptian children from the age of six.<ref name=oecd-edu>{{cite book|title=Higher education in Egypt|year=2010|publisher=OECD|isbn=978-92-64-08434-6|page=60|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/reviews-of-national-policies-for-education-higher-education-in-egypt-2010_9789264084346-en|edition=2010|access-date=16 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125141055/http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/reviews-of-national-policies-for-education-higher-education-in-egypt-2010_9789264084346-en|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> After grade 9, students are tracked into one of two strands of secondary education: general or technical schools. General secondary education prepares students for further education, and graduates of this track normally join higher education institutes based on the results of the [[Thanaweya Amma]], the leaving exam.<ref name=oecd-edu /> Technical secondary education has two strands, one lasting three years and a more advanced education lasting five. Graduates of these schools may have access to higher education based on their results on the final exam, but this is generally uncommon.<ref name=oecd-edu /> [[Cairo University]] is Egypt's premier [[public university]]. The country is currently opening new research institutes for the aim of modernising research in the nation, the most recent example of which is [[Zewail City of Science and Technology]]. Egypt was ranked 86th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2023, up from 92nd in 2019.<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=www.wipo.int |date=30 October 2023 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_gii_2020/eg.pdf|title=EGYPT|work=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|publisher=[[United Nations]]|date=2020|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> === Health === {{Main|Health in Egypt}} [[File:مستشفى سرطان الاطفال 57357.jpg|thumb|[[Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt]]]] Egyptian life expectancy at birth was 73.20 years in 2011, or 71.30 years for males and 75.20 years for females. Egypt spends 3.7 percent of its gross domestic product on health including treatment costs 22 percent incurred by citizens and the rest by the state.<ref>{{cite web|title=Demography|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=17&cat_code=7|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=8 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622090849/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=17&cat_code=7|archive-date=22 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 4.66% of the country's GDP. In 2009, there were 16.04 physicians and 33.80 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Health|url=http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=17&cat_code=8|publisher=SESRIC|access-date=8 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622081201/http://www.sesrtcic.org/oic-member-countries-infigures.php?c_code=17&cat_code=8|archive-date=22 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result of modernisation efforts over the years, Egypt's healthcare system has made great strides forward. Access to healthcare in both urban and rural areas greatly improved and immunisation programmes are now able to cover 98% of the population. Life expectancy increased from 44.8 years during the 1960s to 72.12 years in 2009. There was a noticeable decline of the infant mortality rate (during the 1970s to the 1980s the infant mortality rate was 101–132/1000 live births, in 2000 the rate was 50–60/1000, and in 2008 it was 28–30/1000).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsurance.com/health-insurance/egypt/|title=Egypt Health Insurance|work=globalsurance.com|access-date=25 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905232826/http://www.globalsurance.com/health-insurance/egypt/|archive-date=5 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[World Health Organization]] in 2008, an estimated 91.1% of Egypt's girls and women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to [[Female genital mutilation|genital mutilation]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/index.html |title=Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices |publisher=WHO |year=2011 |access-date=28 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423210304/http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/index.html |archive-date=23 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> despite being illegal in the country. In 2016 the law was amended to impose tougher penalties on those convicted of performing the procedure, pegging the highest jail term at 15 years. Those who escort victims to the procedure can also face jail terms up to 3 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Egypt's parliament passes bill designating FGM a felony, imposes stricter penalties|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/242112/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-parliament-passes-bill-designating-FGM-a-fe.aspx|access-date=1 December 2016|agency=Ahram Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202101139/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/242112/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-parliament-passes-bill-designating-FGM-a-fe.aspx|archive-date=2 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The total number of Egyptians with [[health insurance]] reached 37 million in 2009, of which 11 million are minors, providing an insurance coverage of approximately 52 percent of Egypt's population.<ref>{{cite web|title=SIS|url=http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Articles/tmpArticles.aspx?CatID=729|publisher=State Information Service|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113145429/http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Articles/tmpArticles.aspx?CatID=729|archive-date=13 November 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> === Largest cities === {{See also|List of cities and towns in Egypt}} {{Largest cities | country = Egypt | stat_ref = [http://citypopulation.de/Egypt-Cities.html 2023 estimate] | list_by_pop = | div_name = Governorate | div_link = | city_1 = Cairo | div_1 = Cairo Governorate{{!}}Cairo | pop_1 = 9,801,536 | img_1 = View from Cairo Tower 31march2007.jpg | city_2 = Alexandria | div_2 = Alexandria Governorate{{!}}Alexandria | pop_2 = 5,362,517 | img_2 = Alexandria Egypt (235108493).jpeg | city_3 = Giza | div_3 = Giza Governorate{{!}}Giza | pop_3 = 4,458,135 | img_3 = Giza-Nile.JPG | city_4 = Shubra El Kheima | div_4 = Qalyubia Governorate{{!}}Qalyubia | pop_4 = 1,275,700 | img_4 = 3-D Building on Google Map - panoramio.jpg | city_5 = Port Said | div_5 = Port Said Governorate{{!}}Port Said | pop_5 = 791,749 | city_6 = Suez | div_6 = Suez Governorate{{!}}Suez | pop_6 = 716,458 | city_7 = Mansoura | div_7 = Dakahlia Governorate{{!}}Dakahlia | pop_7 = 632,330 | city_8 = El Mahalla El Kubra | div_8 = Gharbia Governorate{{!}}Gharbia | pop_8 = 614,202 | city_9 = Tanta | div_9 = Gharbia Governorate{{!}}Gharbia | pop_9 = 597,694 | city_10 = Asyut | div_10 = Asyut Governorate{{!}}Asyut | pop_10 = 562,061 | city_11 = Faiyum | div_11 = Faiyum Governorate{{!}}Faiyum | pop_11 = 531,861 | city_12 = Khusus | div_12 = Qalyubia Governorate{{!}}Qalyubia | pop_12 = 502,864 | city_13 = Zagazig | div_13 = Sharqia Governorate{{!}} Sharqia | pop_13 = 460,501 | city_14 = Ismailia | div_14 = Ismailia Governorate{{!}}Ismailia | pop_14 = 450,388 | city_15 = Aswan | div_15 = Aswan Governorate{{!}}Aswan | pop_15 = 401,890 | city_16 = 6th of October (city){{!}} 6th of October | div_16 = Giza Governorate{{!}}Giza | pop_16 = 376,302 | city_17 = Damanhur | div_17 = Beheira Governorate{{!}}Beheira | pop_17 = 329,572 | city_18 = New Cairo | div_18 = Cairo Governorate{{!}}Cairo | pop_18 = 319,488 | city_19 = Damietta | div_19 = Damietta Governorate{{!}}Damietta | pop_19 = 312,863 | city_20 = Minya, Egypt{{!}}Minya | div_20 = Minya Governorate{{!}}Minya | pop_20 = 298,021 }} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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