Economy of Egypt

Economy of Egypt
	The business district in Egypt’s planned new capital, a flagship project reflecting the country’s efforts to attract investment, expand infrastructure, and drive economic growth.
Currency	Egyptian pound (ISO code: EGP, abbreviation: LE)
Fiscal year	1 July – 30 June
Trade organisations	AfCFTA, African Union, COMESA, CAEU, WTO, BRICS
Country group	Developing/emerging Lower-middle income economy;
Statistics
Population	116,275,465 (2025)
GDP	$349.264 billion (nominal, 2025); $2.382 trillion (PPP, 2025);
GDP rank	44th (nominal; 2025); 18th (PPP; 2025);
GDP growth	4.27% (2025);
GDP per capita	$3,191 (nominal, 2025); $21,759 (PPP, 2025);
GDP per capita rank	138th (nominal; 2025); 87th (PPP; 2025);
GDP by sector	Agriculture: 10.6%; Industry: 32.7%; Services: 51.6%; (2023 est.);
GDP by component	Household consumption: 82.6%; Government consumption: 6.8%; Investment in fixed capital: 15.2%; Investment in inventories: -2.3%; Exports of goods and services: 19.2%; Imports of goods and services: -21.3%; (2023 est.);
Inflation (CPI)	20.419% (2025);
Population below poverty line	Multidimensional poverty: 2% (2021); At $4.20/day: 7% (2021); At $8.30/day: 59% (2021); National poverty line: 29.7% (2019);
Gini coefficient	28.5 low (2021)
Human Development Index	0.754 high (2025) (100th); 0.582 medium IHDI (2025) (98th);
Corruption Perceptions Index	35 out of 100 points (2023, 108th rank)
Labour force	33.75 million (2024); 45.5% participation rate (2024);
Labour force by occupation	Agriculture: 18.66%; Industry: 26.36%; Services: 52.98%; (2022 est.);
Unemployment	7.4% (2025); 18.8% youth unemployment (2024; 15 to 24 year-olds); 2.445 million unemployed (2024);
Main industries	textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
External
Exports	$53.1 billion (2024)
Export goods	Refined petroleum, gold, nitrogenous fertilizer, insulated wire and citrus.
Main export partners	Saudi Arabia 10.9%; Turkey 8.49%; United Arab Emirates 6.15%; United States 5.60%; Italy 4.98%;
Imports	$99.5 billion (2024)
Import goods	Refined petroleum, petroleum gas, wheat, cars and packaged medicaments.
Main import partners	China 16.8%; Saudi Arabia 8.47%; United States 6.66%; Russia 6.06%; Turkey 4.26%;
FDI stock	$46.07 billion (2024)
Current account	-5.105% of GDP (2025)
Gross external debt	$155.2 billion (2024)
Public finances
Government debt	84% of GDP (2025)
Foreign reserves	$52.745 billion (Feb 2026)
Budget balance	−$45.165 billion (2025)
Revenues	$60.671 billion (2025)
Expenses	$105.855 billion (2025)
Credit rating	Standard & Poor's:; B; Outlook: Stable; Moody's:; B3; Outlook: Stable; Fitch:; B+; Outlook: Stable;
	All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.

The economy of Egypt is a developing, mixed economy, combining private business with centralized economic planning and government regulation. It is the 2nd largest economy in Africa, and 44th in worldwide ranking as of 2025. Egypt is a major emerging market economy and a member of the African Union, BRICS, and a signatory to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Since the 2000s, structural reforms including fiscal and monetary policies, tax adjustments, privatization, and new business legislation have helped Egypt move towards a more market-oriented economy and increased foreign investment. The reforms and policies strengthened macroeconomic annual growth results and helped to address the country's serious unemployment and poverty rates.

Egypt is currently undergoing a period of economic recovery after its 2023–2024 financial crisis. It has benefited from a number of reforms under its development strategy Egypt Vision 2030, as well as a dramatic currency floatation in 2024 that resulted in a 38% depreciation of the Egyptian pound against the dollar after securing more than $50 billion in international financing. These steps, alongside agreements with global partners such as the IMF, World Bank, European Union, and Gulf States, have helped improve the credit outlook and stabilize the economy. The country benefits from political stability; its proximity to Europe, and increased exports.

Egypt is the world’s 7th largest recipient of remittances, an important source of foreign currency for the Egyptian economy. In 2024, the country received $29.5 billion from Egyptians working abroad, ranking just behind China. The country is also the world’s 9th largest and Africa’s top investment destination, attracting $46.1 billion in FDI during 2024. It has the largest manufacturing sector in Africa, accounting for approximately 22% of the continent's total manufacturing value.

The Suez Canal, located in Egypt, is a vital maritime corridor for global supply chains and one of the world’s most important trade chokepoints. Around 12% of global trade passes through the canal, accounting for roughly 30% of worldwide container traffic and more than $1 trillion in goods annually. In 2020, about 19,000 vessels transited the route.