2.6 Million Egyptian Women Would Choose To Postpone Pregnancy

A recent statement from the Ministry of Health and Population has revealed that 2.6 million Egyptian women would rather postpone their pregnancy, a decision made all the more difficult due to lack of awareness and resources.

The statistic expounds on concerns over rapid population growth in Egypt, with recent reports from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) showing that 20% of Egyptian children born in 2021 were unplanned. This is seen as alarming in the context of an unprecedented population spike in April 2022, when CAPMAS reported a growth of 750,000 people in just 170 days.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, these numbers highlight the need for Egyptian family planning campaigns and initiatives, particularly ones that target Upper Egypt and rural areas where resources and knowledge are especially lacking. Poverty, lack of female doctors and physical isolation are seen as the main roadblocks to proper family planning, which the ministry’s future family planning strategy reportedly addresses.