Egypt

This introductory report provides a geographic, political, and demographic overview of Egypt, detailing its population distribution, political history from 1954 to 2023, and its administrative structure.

• Egypt is a transcontinental lower-middle-income country with a population exceeding 113 million as of 2023. Despite being the world's 30th-largest country by land mass, it is one of Africa's most densely populated nations because 99% of its population resides on only 5.5% of the land, specifically along the Nile river.
• Egypt's political history since 1954 has been marked by several leadership transitions: Gamal Abdel Nasser (1954-1970), Anwar Sadat (1970-1981), and Hosni Mubarak, who resigned in February 2011 following Arab Spring protests. After a transitional period and the presidency of Mohamed Morsi (June 2012 to June 2013), Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was elected in May 2014. President Sisi won a second term in 2018 and a third six-year term in December 2023 with 89.6% of the vote.
• Administratively, Egypt is divided into 27 governorates, but the system remains highly centralised. The President appoints executive officials and governors, meaning decentralisation is limited to administrative functions and does not include the devolution of substantive authority powers.
• The population is predominantly Sunni Muslim (approximately 90%), with Christians making up 10% and Shia Muslims approximately 1%. The country has faced decades of terrorism from Islamic extremist groups, such as Ansar Beit Magdis in Sinai, though recent developments indicate these groups have been defeated.

APA

Aikins, E. R. (2026). Egypt. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=EG&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy. Egypt. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=EG&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |title=Egypt |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=31 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=EG&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026egypt, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy}, title = {{Egypt}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=EG&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }