By Ebi Kesiena
Head of Egypt’s National Population Council, NPC, Tarek Tawfik has disclosed that the country’s population is expected to reach between 142 and 157 million by the year 2050.
Tawfik noted this on the sidelines of a Sunday meeting held by parliament’s Health Committee. The meeting was devoted to discussing the dangers of overpopulation in Egypt.
According to Tawfik, this figure depends on the birth rate adding that if each family got two children only, Egypt would reach 142 million, but if families got more we are expected to reach 157 million.
Tawfik also said that Upper Egypt and border governorates are the highest in birth rates.
‘‘Most of the birth control campaigns focus on Cairo and Delta governorates. As a result, we have high birth rates in Upper Egypt and border governorates,” said Tawfik.
“Some countries – like China, Singapore and Vietnam – passed laws to control the runaway growth of their population, but it is quite difficult to do the same in Egypt as this policy needs strict measures that will make it difficult for people here to follow or accept,”
“as a result and depending on the current high birth rates, Egypt’s population is expected to hit a record of 205 million by the year 2100, up from 21 million in 1951, 104 million in 2022 and 124 million in 2030”.he said.
He also said that the remarkable improvement in health conditions in Egypt has led to a decline in death rates.
“This is another reason that contributed to population growth in Egypt, twenty years ago the rate was 32 deaths for every thousand citizens, but now it is six for every thousand citizens, and in 2100 it is expected to be 10 deaths only for each 10 thousand citizens.”
Tawfik said a number of 22 institutions are involved in controlling population growth in Egypt. “But all of them, including the National Population Council, is working on a voluntary basis,” he said, adding that if we are serious about controlling the runaway growth of population in Egypt, “we have to translate this into policies to be implemented on the ground as soon as possible.”
