Egypt’s population officially hits 100mn

Egypt’s fast-growing population hit 100 million people on Tuesday, the official statistics agency said. The figure is an increase of 7 million since the publication of the latest census results in 2017.

The population in Egypt has tripled since 1960, with the annual growth rate peaking in 1987 at nearly 2.8 percent.

The country is trying to cope with resurgent birth rates and what the World Bank calls a looming “youth bulge,” AP said. Those between ages 18-29 comprise over one-fifth of the population, according to the statistics agency.

Most of the population live in urban areas near the Nile. The capital, Cairo, and its twin province of Giza, are home to a combined population of 19 million, according to figures published on Tuesday.