Egypt witnesses a decrease in poverty indicators for 1st time in 20 years: CAPMAS head

CAIRO – 30 August 2021: Poverty indicators in Egypt decreased to 29.7% in 2019-2020, after it hitting 32.3% in 2017-2018, for the first time in 20 years, Major General Khairat Barakat, head of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics [CAPMAS], said Monday.

He added in statements to AlHadath Alyoum private channel, for the first time we are recording a decrease in poverty levels in more than 20 years.

He added that the state's efforts during the previous period have upgraded 4 million citizens from the poverty line to higher levels. He also noted to the government national projects and initiatives to solve such a problem in all fields.

CAPMAS head indicated that the percentage of males in Egypt is currently 51.7%, while the percentage of females has reached 48.3%.

“A family’s normal expenditure rates include 31% for food and drink, 19% for housing and supplies, followed by health care 10.5%, and education 6.3%." Barakat explained.

In August 2019, CAPMAS announced in a statement that the percentage of Egyptians, who live in extreme poverty, rose to 32.5 in 2018.

January, 2019, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, launched Haya Karima national project to develop the Egyptian countryside.

It was then transformed into a national project early in 2021 with the aim of improving the living conditions and the quality of life for the neediest categories of the rural society nationwide and contributing to advancing the level of daily services provided to citizens.

The “Haya Karima” project seeks to unify the efforts of all the state’s institutions in cooperation with the civil society, the private sector companies and the development partners inside and outside Egypt in the sustainable development field

The project also aims, through eliminating multi-dimensional poverty, to alleviate the burden shouldered by the citizens, especially the neediest families in the targeted villages and centers totaling 4,658 villages with total investments estimated at LE 700 billion.

This contributes to improving the life of more than half of the Egyptian population through setting an integrated developmental roadmap which its goals and axes are consistent with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

This comes through securing a comprehensive array of services and that include decent housing, health, education, culture, infrastructure, clean environment and productive communities to ensure sustainable development in the targeted villages and centers.

The project’s goals are advancing the economic, social and environmental levels of the neediest families in poor villages, empowering them to obtain all primary services, security job opportunities for these communities and maximizing their production capabilities in a way that ensures a decent life for them.

The project also aims at organizing the efforts of the civil society, enhancing the cooperation between civil society and all state institutions and encouraging local communities to participate in building human capabilities and boosting the value of the homeland.