Egypt’s Population Surge Risks ‘Catastrophe,’ President Says
A street market in Attaba Square in Cairo, Egypt.
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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi warned a surging population is leaving the country of more than 104 million people with an increasingly unaffordable burden, as the state wrestles with its deepest economic troubles in years.
Speaking at a conference Tuesday, El-Sisi renewed his call for the most populous Arab nation to further curb population growth he said puts strain on Egypt’s resources. The number of Egyptians has almost quadrupled since 1960 and, if unchecked, could nearly double again by 2050, according to United Nations data.