Egypt’s annual unemployment rate fell to 6.6% in 2024, marking a 0.4% decline from the previous year, according to data released Saturday by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The drop reflects improvements in both urban and rural employment, alongside job creation in vital sectors such as agriculture, retail, and construction.

The CAPMAS report, based on its annual labor force survey, revealed that youth unemployment (ages 15–29) declined to 14.9% in 2024, down from 15.9% in 2023. However, the gender gap remains pronounced, with male youth unemployment at 9.8% compared to a significantly higher 37.1% among females.

Unemployment among teenagers aged 15–19 also saw a slight decline, falling to 12.2% from 12.4% the previous year. Among youth holding intermediate, higher, or university-level education, the unemployment rate dropped to 18.7%, down from 20.3% in 2023.

Egypt’s labor force

Egypt’s total labor force expanded by 2.9% in 2024, reaching 32.041 million individuals—up from 31.149 million in 2023. This included 26.08 million males and 5.961 million females. Rural areas accounted for the majority of labor force participation, with 17.963 million individuals compared to 14.078 million in urban areas.

The number of unemployed individuals declined to 2.113 million, down from 2.19 million in 2023—a decrease of 77,000 or 3.5%. Urban unemployment fell to 9.6% from 9.9%, while rural unemployment dropped to 4.2% from 4.8%.

Despite the overall improvements, gender disparities remain stark. Urban male unemployment was recorded at 6.3%, while rural male unemployment stood at just 2.6%. Among females, the urban unemployment rate was significantly higher at 21.8%, compared to 12.4% in rural areas, where women are more frequently engaged in agriculture.

The percentage of unemployed individuals with prior work experience decreased to 42.3% in 2024 from 45.3% the year before.

Meanwhile, the number of employed individuals rose by 3.3% to 29.928 million in 2024, up from 28.959 million in 2023. Of these, 24.989 million were men and 4.939 million were women. Employment remained concentrated in rural areas, which accounted for 17.202 million workers, while urban employment stood at 12.726 million.

Sectors with high employment rates

Sector-wise, agriculture and fishing continued to lead in employment, accounting for 5.594 million workers, or 18.7% of the total workforce. This was followed by wholesale and retail trade with 4.636 million workers (15.5%), and construction with 4.042 million (13.5%). The manufacturing sector also showed notable growth, employing 3.946 million individuals (13.2%), a 5.4% increase compared to 2023.

Driving growth

The economic activity rate for individuals aged 15 and above edged up to 44.2% in 2024 from 43.4% in 2023. Male participation stood at 70.3%, more than four times higher than female participation, which increased slightly to 16.9%.

Rural economic activity participation rose marginally to 44.4% from 44%, while urban participation increased to 44% from 42.7%, underscoring the ongoing shift toward greater labor force engagement across the country.