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Census in Egypt

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The practice of conducting a periodic census began in Egypt in the second millennium BC, where it was used for tax gathering and to determine fitness for military services.

Pre-modern censuses

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Pharaonic era

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Censuses in Egypt first appeared in the late Middle Kingdom and develops in the New Kingdom.[1] Pharaoh Amasis, according to Herodotus, required every Egyptian to declare annually to the nomarch, "whence he gained his living".[2] Under the Ptolemies and the Romans several censuses were conducted in Egypt by government officials.[3]

Roman era

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Roman censuses in Egypt estimated the population at 4.5 million inhabitants in the year 14 AD and 5 million in 164 AD.

Islamic era (600 AD)

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A census also took place in the era of Hesham Abdel Malek ben Marwan in the year 600 AD including the number of people, their ages and residences.[citation needed]

Napoleonic era (1798)

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In 1798, Egypt's population was estimated at 3 million when Napoleon invaded the country.[citation needed]

1848 and 1868 Censuses

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After preliminary enumerations in some urban areas and villages the first countrywide census was carried out in 1848.[4][5] A modern analysis of the 1848 census records, which attempts to adjust for various discrepancies in the data, concluded that Egypt's population was 4.476 million people back then.[6] The 1848 census is said to be the first in a non-Western country to include demographic, social, and economic data on practically all individuals including females, children, and slaves. Digitization of the 1848 and 1868 census records is underway based on documents in the National Archives of Egypt.[7]

Modern censuses

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Population censuses

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During the last 135 years, Egypt has managed to carry out around 14 official population censuses, the first being in 1882 and the last in 2017.

Population Censuses carried out

officially in Egypt since 1882[8]

N.º Year Population Census Census Carried Out During photo
1882 6,806,381 1882 Egyptian Census Reign of the Khedive
Tewfik Pasha
(1879-1892)
(1852-1892)
1897 9,734,405 1897 Egyptian Census Reign of the Khedive
Abbas II Hilmi
(1892-1914)
(1874-1944)
1907 11,189,978 1907 Egyptian Census Reign of the Khedive
Abbas II Hilmi
(1892-1914)
(1805-1852)
1917 12,716,255 1917 Egyptian Census Reign of Sultan
Fuad I
(1917-1936)
(1868-1836)
1927 14,177,864 1927 Egyptian Census Reign of Sultan
Fuad I
(1917-1936)
(1868-1836)
1937 15,921,000 1937 Egyptian Census Reign of Sultan
Faruq
(1936-1952)
(1920-1965)
1947 18,967,000 1947 Egyptian Census Reign of Sultan
Faruq I
(1936-1952)
(1920-1965)
1960 26,085,000 1960 Egyptian Census Government of President
Gamal Abdel Nasser
(1954-1970)
(1918-1970)
1966 30,076,000 1966 Egyptian Census Government of President
Gamal Abdel Nasser
(1954-1970)
(1918-1970)
10° 1976 36,626,000 1976 Egyptian Census Government of President
Anwar El-Sadat
(1970-1981)
(1918-1981)
11° 1986 48,205,049 1986 Egyptian Census Government of President
Hosni Mubarak
(1981-2011)
(1928-2020)
12° 1996 59,276,672 1996 Egyptian Census Government of President
Hosni Mubarak
(1981-2011)
(1928-2020)
13° 2006 72,798,031 2006 Egyptian Census Government of President
Hosni Mubarak
(1981-2011)
(1928-2020)
14° 2017 94,798,827 2017 Egyptian Census Government of Marshal
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
(2014-Present)
(1954-)
- 2022 103,011,914 Estimates CAPMAS[9]
Census
Year
Population[10]
(in thousands)
Arithmetic Density[11]
(inhabitants/km2)
1882 6,712 6.65
1897 9,669 9.58
1907 11,190 11.09
1917 12,718 12.60
1927 14,178 14.05
1937 15,921 15.78
1947 18,967 18.79
1960 26,085 25.84
1966 30,076 29.79
1976 36,626 36.28
1986 48,254 47.80
1996 59,312 58.76
2006 72,798 70.70

1882

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  • 1882 — The first census in Egypt had been carried out. The total population was 6.7 million.

1947

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  • According to the 1947 census, Egypt's population had reached 19 million inhabitants.[12]
Province or governorate Population
(1947 census)
Alexandria 928,237
Aswan 285,551
Asyut 1,379,875
Beheira 1,242,478
Beni Suef 613,365
Cairo 2,100,486
Dakahlia 1,366,085
Damietta 124,104
Faiyum 671,885
Frontiers 216,872
Gharbia 2,316,619
Girga (currently Sohag Governorate) 1,288,425
Giza 822,424
Ismailia 132,810
Minya 1,061,417
Monufia 1,168,777
Port Said 178,432
Qalyubia 687,169
Qena 1,106,296
Sharqia 1,290,890
Suez 108,250
Total population 19,090,447

1976

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  • A census in 1976 revealed that the population had risen to 36.6 million.[citation needed]

1986

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  • In 1986, a census indicated that the population of Egypt reached a total of 50.4 million, including about 2.3 million Egyptians working in other countries.[citation needed]

1996

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2006

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  • In 2006, the thirteenth census in the Egyptian census series revealed that the Egypt's population hit 76.5 million inside and outside the country.[citation needed]

2017

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A new census was done in 2017. Census day was 18 April 2017 and Egypt's population on that date was estimated to be 94,798,827.[13]

Latest census details (2006)

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Nationwide demographics

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Statement Total country
% Change in Population compared with Census 1996 % 22
% Change in Population Under 6 Years Old % 168
% Change in Population Under 15 Years Old % 256
% Change in Population Over 45 Years Old % 289
Number of Households 17,265,567
Household Population 72,131,096
Family average 4 to 5
Number of university graduates 5,476,704
Number of Illiterates 2006 16,806,657
Raw Birth Rate 26
Raw Death Rate 6

Population by sex and residence

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Residence Males Females Total
Urban areas 1 1 1
Rural areas 1 1 1
Total Egypt 1 1 1

Population by governorate

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Governorate 1996 2006 Change %
Cairo 6,800,991 7,786,640 14.49
Giza 4,784,095 6,272,571 31.11
Sharqia 4,281,068 5,340,058 24.74
Dakahlia 4,223,338 4,985,187 18.04
Beheira 3,994,297 4,737,129 18.6
Gharbia 3,404,339 4,010,298 17.8
Alexandria 3,339,076 4,110,015 23.09
Minya 3,310,129 4,179,309 26.26
Qalyubia 3,281,135 4,237,003 29.13
Sohag 3,123,114 3,746,377 19.96
Asyut 2,802,334 3,441,597 22.81
Monufia 2,760,429 3,270,404 18.47
Qena 2,442,016 3,001,494 22.91
Kafr el-Sheikh 2,223,383 2,618,111 17.75
Faiyum 1,989,772 2,512,792 26.29
Beni Suef 1,859,213 2,290,527 23.2
Aswan 960,510 1,184,432 23.31
Damietta 913,555 1,092,316 19.57
Ismailia 714,828 942,832 31.9
Port Said 472,331 570,768 20.84
Suez 417,526 510,935 22.37
Luxor 361,138 451,318 24.97
North Sinai 252,160 339,752 34.74
Matruh 212,001 322,341 52.05
Red Sea 157,314 288,233 83.22
New Valley 141,774 187,256 32.08
South Sinai 54,806 149,335 172.48
Total Egypt 59,276,672 72,579,030 22.44

Future projections

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At current pace, Egypt's population is expected to reach 160 million by 2050. However, if the current rate of reproduction diminishes, the population may be limited to 120 million by 2050. Egypt already has one of the highest real population densities in the world.[14]

See also

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References

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General
Specific
  1. ^ D. Valbelle. "Les recensements dans l'Egypte pharaonique des troisième et deuxième millénaires" CRIPEL 9 (1987) 37 - 49.
  2. ^ Herodotus, Histories II, 177, 2
  3. ^ Paul Cartledge, Peter Garnsey, Erich S. Gruen Hellenistic Constructs: Essays in Culture, History, and Historiography 242 ss.
  4. ^ Cuno, Kenneth M.; Reimer, Michael J. (1997). "The Census Registers of Nineteenth-Century Egypt: A New Source for Social Historians". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 24 (2). Taylor & Francis, Ltd: 193–216. doi:10.1080/13530199708705646. JSTOR 195772.
  5. ^ Fargues, Philippe. Family and household in mid-nineeenth century Cairo. In Doumani, Beshara, ed. Family history in the Middle East: household, property, and gender
  6. ^ Alleaume, G. and P. Fargues. 1998. La naissance d'une statistique d'état. Histoire & Mesure 13: 147-193
  7. ^ Saleh, Mohamed. "A Pre-Colonial Population Brought to Light: Digitization of the Nineteenth Century Egyptian Censuses," Historical Methods 46:1 (January 2013) 5-18. (online draft)
  8. ^ egypt.unfpa.org (June 2018). "National Report of Egypt by census". Retrieved 16 July 2020.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ monitordeoriente.com (26 February 2022). "La población de Egipto alcanza los 103 millones de habitantes". Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Population in Censuses By Sex & Sex Ratio (1882–2006)" (PDF). Egypt in Figures 2010. Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  11. ^ Osman, Maged (11–17 May 2006). "No strength in numbers". Al-Ahram Weekly (794). Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  12. ^ Shousha, Aly Tewfik (1947). "Cholera Epidemic in Egypt: A Preliminary Report". Bull. World Health Organ. 1 (2): 371. PMC 2553924. PMID 20603928.
  13. ^ "الجهاز المركزي للتعبئة العامة والإحصاء" (PDF). www.capmas.gov.eg. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Egypt weighed down by population woes". AFP. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
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