Unemployment Rate in Egypt decreased to 6.30 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from 6.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Egypt Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Historical chart and dataset showing Egypt unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

The unemployment rate in Egypt decreased by 0.1 percentage points (-1.36 percent) in 2024 in comparison to the previous year. This marks the lowest unemployment rate during the observed period. The unemployment rate refers to the share of the workforce that is currently not working but is actively searching for work. It does not include the economically inactive population, such as the long-term unemployed, those aged under 15 years, or retired persons.Find more statistics on other topics about Egypt with key insights such as number of children out of school, gross enrollment ratio for secondary school students , and gross tertiary enrollment ratio.

Key information about Egypt Unemployment Rate

• Egypt Unemployment Rate increased to 6.70% in Sep 2024, from the previously reported figure of 6.50% in Jun 2024.
• Egypt Unemployment Rate is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2003 to Sep 2024, with an average rate of 10.00%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 13.40% in Mar 2014 and a record low of 6.50% in Jun 2024.
• The data is reported by reported by Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.
• In the latest reports, Egypt Population reached 106.60 million people in Jun 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Egypt (SLUEM1524ZSEGY) from 1991 to 2024 about Egypt, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

The youth unemployment rate in Egypt decreased by 0.4 percentage points (-2.1 percent) in 2024 in comparison to the previous year. This decrease was preceded by an increase in youth unemployment rate.The youth unemployment rate of a country or region refers to the share of the total workforce aged 15 to 24 that is currently without work, but actively searching for employment. It does not include economically inactive persons such as full-time students or the long-term unemployed.Find more statistics on other topics about Egypt with key insights such as labor participation rate among the total population aged between 15 and 64, labor force participation rate for males, and female labor force participation rate.

The unemployment rate in Egypt stood at seven percent as of the second quarter of 2023. In the observed period, the unemployment rate among women was higher than that among men. In the second quarter of 2020, the rate among women dropped to 16.3 percent from 21.9 percent, while it reached its highest rate among men at 8.5 percent.

The unemployment rate in Egypt stands at 6.3 percent according to the latest data from . That reading shows a decrease from the level of 6.4 percent in the previous quarter and a decrease from the level of 6.7 percent in the same quarter of the previous year. The unemployment rate data in ...

Egypt Unemployment Rate: Male data was reported at 6.800 % in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.700 % for Jun 2018. Egypt Unemployment Rate: Male data is updated quarterly, averaging 7.300 % from Mar 2003 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.000 % in Dec 2013 and a record low of 4.720 % in Sep 2010. Egypt Unemployment Rate: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.G015: Unemployment and Unemployment Rate.

Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 12.550 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.775 % for 2015. Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 10.200 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2016, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.225 % in 2013 and a record low of 6.900 % in 1989. Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

Egypt: Unemployment rate forecast: The latest value from 2030 is 7.71 percent, an increase from 6.97 percent in 2029. In comparison, the world average is 6.28 percent, based on data from 100 countries. Historically, the average for Egypt from 1990 to 2030 is 9.51 percent. The minimum value, 6.97 percent, was reached in 2029 while the maximum of 13.37 percent was recorded in 2014.

Egypt Unemployment Rate: Female data was reported at 22.800 % in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 21.200 % for Jun 2018. Egypt Unemployment Rate: Female data is updated quarterly, averaging 24.100 % from Mar 2003 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25.900 % in Sep 2016 and a record low of 18.120 % in Sep 2007. Egypt Unemployment Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.G015: Unemployment and Unemployment Rate.

Unemployment with advanced education (% of total labor force with advanced education) in Egypt was reported at 14.18 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Egypt - Unemployment with advanced education (% of total unemployment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The unemployment rate in Egypt stood at 7.1 percent as of the third quarter of 2023. Compared to the previous quarter, the rate increased from seven percent. In the observed period, the unemployment rate fluctuated, peaking in the second quarter of 2020. Notably, the unemployment rate among women was higher than that among men.

Unemployment Rate data was reported at 6.350 % in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.393 % for Nov 2024. Unemployment Rate data is updated monthly, averaging 10.142 % from Jan 2003 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 264 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.513 % in Sep 2013 and a record low of 6.350 % in Dec 2024. Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.World Bank.GEM: Unemployment Rate.

The unemployment rate in Egypt stood at 7.2 percent in 2022. South Sinai had the highest rate of unemployment at 27 percent. The governorates of Port-Said and Red Sea followed at 26.2 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively. Moreover, Cairo had an unemployment rate of 11.3 percent.

egypt - Youth Unemployment Rate for Egypt was 18.71% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, egypt - Youth Unemployment Rate for Egypt reached a record high of 19.07 in January of 2023 and a record low of 18.21 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for egypt - Youth Unemployment Rate for Egypt - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at -1.761 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of -1.161 % for 2015. Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data is updated yearly, averaging 2.222 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.556 % in 2011 and a record low of -15.903 % in 2007. Egypt EG: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

There were nearly 2.45 million unemployed people in Egypt in 2024. The number slightly increased compared to the preceding year, when around 2.44 million people were unemployed in the country. Overall, unemployment in Egypt dropped between 2014 and 2019, while following an increasing trend from 2020 onwards.

Abstract

THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)

In any society, the human element represents the basis of the work force which exercises all the service and production activities. Therefore, it is a mandate to produce labor force statistics and studies, that is related to the growth and distribution of manpower and labor force distribution by different types and characteristics.

In this context, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics conducts "Quarterly Labor Force Survey" which includes data on the size of manpower and labor force (employed and unemployed) and their geographical distribution by their characteristics.

By the end of each year, CAPMAS issues the annual aggregated labor force bulletin publication that includes the results of the quarterly survey rounds that represent the manpower and labor force characteristics during the year.

---> Historical Review of the Labor Force Survey:

1- The First Labor Force survey was undertaken in 1957. The first round was conducted in November of that year, the survey continued to be conducted in successive rounds (quarterly, bi-annually, or annually) till now.

2- Starting the October 2006 round, the fieldwork of the labor force survey was developed to focus on the following two points: a. The importance of using the panel sample that is part of the survey sample, to monitor the dynamic changes of the labor market. b. Improving the used questionnaire to include more questions, that help in better defining of relationship to labor force of each household member (employed, unemployed, out of labor force ...etc.). In addition to re-order of some of the already existing questions in much logical way.

3- Starting the January 2008 round, the used methodology was developed to collect more representative sample during the survey year. this is done through distributing the sample of each governorate into five groups, the questionnaires are collected from each of them separately every 15 days for 3 months (in the middle and the end of the month)

4- Starting the January 2012 round, in order to follow the international recommendation, to avoid asking extra questions that affect the precision and accuracy of the collected data, a shortened version of the questionnaire was designed to include the core questions that enable obtaining the basic Egyptian labor market indicators. The shortened version is collected usually in three rounds, while the long version that includes more information on housing conditions and immigration of the questionnaire is usually collected in one round .

---> The survey aims at covering the following topics:

1- Measuring the size of the Egyptian labor force among civilians (for all governorates of the republic) by their different characteristics. 2- Measuring the employment rate at national level and different geographical areas. 3- Measuring the distribution of employed people by the following characteristics: Gender, age, educational status, occupation, economic activity, and sector. 4- Measuring unemployment rate at different geographic areas. 5- Measuring the distribution of unemployed people by the following characteristics: Gender, age, educational status, unemployment type “ever employed/never employed”, occupation, economic activity, and sector for people who have ever worked.

The raw survey data provided by the Statistical Agency were cleaned and harmonized by the Economic Research Forum, in the context of a major project that started in 2009. During which extensive efforts have been exerted to acquire, clean, harmonize, preserve and disseminate micro data of existing labor force surveys in several Arab countries.

Geographic coverage

Covering a sample of urban and rural areas in all the governorates.

Analysis unit

1- Household/family. 2- Individual/person.

Universe

The survey covered a national sample of households and all individuals permanently residing in surveyed households.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

THE CLEANED AND HARMONIZED VERSION OF THE SURVEY DATA PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH FORUM REPRESENTS 100% OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY DATA COLLECTED BY THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR PUBLIC MOBILIZATION AND STATISTICS (CAPMAS)

---> Sample Design and Selection

The sample of Labor Force Survey is a two-stage stratified cluster sample and selfweighted to the extent practical.

The main elements of the sampling design are described as follows:

• Sample Size The sample size was 90,000 households, distributed at a ratio of 44% to urban areas and 56% to rural areas. They were distributed by means of an average of the proportional to size (P.P.S) method and the Square root allocation method in order to raise the minimum for small governorates.

The sample was divided to be 551 in urban areas and 699 in rural areas.

• Cluster size The cluster size is 18 households.

• Sampling stages:

A- First sampling stage: (1) Primary Sampling Unit: The 2017 population census data was used to obtain an electronic list of areas of aid, or in other words, enumeration areas (EAS) with an average of 600-750 households through all the republic. This list represents the framework of the first phase of the sample, where 10,000 auxiliary areas were selected as primary sampling units (PSU) for the first phase of the main sample. (2) Stratification and allocation of the initial inspection unit The governorate is considered the primary layer, which is divided into urban and rural as sub-classes, where the allocation commensurate with the size of the sample between governorates, and between urban and rural areas in each governorate in the first phase of inspection, in order to achieve selfweighting of the basic and sub classes at the national level.

B- Second Sampling phase: (1) The division of each initial survey into a number of parts approximately equal in size (150 households / part), each part is called an area plot. (2) Selecting an area plot (one part of each primary sampling unit) using the simple random sampling method.

C- Third stage of Sampling (Selection of cadastral plots): (1) A sample of cadastral plots was chosen for the Labor force survey in a systematic, random sample from the records of cadastral plots in the master sample, 1,250 cadastral plots were allocated to the research sample, which are divided into 551 in urban areas and 699 in rural areas. Where the urban/rural governorate is considered the strata of the republic, the sample is distributed proportionately to the size. (2) The representation of urban and rural areas at the level of the governorates of the Republic has been taken into account.

Sample Allocation among Governorates: Governorate is considered the primary main strata that divided into substrata (Urban/ Rural), allocation proportional to size was determined among governorates as well as among urban and rural in each governorate at the first sampling stage.

A more detailed description of the different sampling stages and allocation of sample across governorates is provided in the Methodology document available among external resources in Arabic.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaire design follows the latest International Labor Organization (ILO) concepts and definitions of labor force, employment, and unemployment.

The questionnaire comprises 4 tables in addition to the identification and geographic data of household on the cover page.

---> Table 1- The housing conditions of the households

This table includes information on the housing conditions of the household: - Type of the dwelling, - Tenure of the dwelling (owned/rent) , - Availability of facilities and services connected to the house - Ownership of durables.

---> Table 2- Demographic and employment characteristics and basic data for all household individuals

Including: gender, age, educational status, marital status, residence mobility and current work status

---> Table 3- Employment characteristics table

This table is filled by employed individuals at the time of the survey or those who were engaged to work during the reference week, and provided information on: - Relationship to employer: employer, self-employed, waged worker, and unpaid family worker - Economic activity - Sector - Occupation - Effective working hours - Health and social insurance - Work place - Contract type - Average monthly wage

---> Table 4- Unemployment characteristics table

This table is filled by all unemployed individuals who satisfied the unemployment criteria, and provided information on: - Type of unemployment (unemployed, unemployed ever worked) - Economic activity and occupation in the last held job before being unemployed - Last unemployment duration in months - Main reason for unemployment

Cleaning operations

Data Processing

1- Coding Specialized staff is responsible for coding data of activity, occupation and geographical identification according to activity, occupation and geographical manual, thus the questionnaires will be valid for data entry. 2- Data entry and tabulations It included machine data entry, data validation and tabulation as well as preparing a final survey bulletin and output tables.

---> Raw Data

Office editing is one of the main stages of the survey. It started once the questionnaires were received from the field and accomplished by the selected