Egypt’s unemployment rate declined to 6.3% of the total labor force in 2025, down from 6.6% in 2024, according to data released Wednesday by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The labor force expanded by 6.6% year-on-year to around 34.2 million individuals in 2025, compared with 32.04 million in 2024.
Meanwhile, the number of unemployed increased marginally to 2.136 million from 2.113 million the previous year, an increase of 23,000 people, or 1.1%.
Unemployment in urban areas rose slightly to 9.8% in 2025 from 9.6% in 2024, highlighting ongoing pressures in cities. In contrast, rural unemployment declined to 3.5%, down from 4.2% a year earlier.
Youth unemployment showed improvement over the period. Among individuals aged 15 to 29, the unemployment rate fell to 13.2%, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to 2024.
However, a significant gender gap remains, with unemployment among young males at 8.1% and among young females at 33.8%.
Unemployment among educated youth also declined. For those aged 15 to 29 holding intermediate, above-intermediate, university, or higher qualifications, the unemployment rate dropped to 16.8% in 2025, compared with 18.7% in the previous year.
