Egypt’s Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.2% in Q4

Egypt’s unemployment rate declined to 6.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a 0.2 percentage-point drop from the previous quarter, according to fresh data released Sunday by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

The figures, covering the period from October to December 2025, reflect a steady improvement in labor market conditions, supported by rising employment and a modest expansion in the labor force.

Egypt’s total labor force grew by 0.3% during the quarter, reaching 34.829 million individuals, up from 34.727 million in Q3. The increase was attributed to a net gain of 102,000 individuals, as employment rose by 179,000 while the number of unemployed declined by 77,000.

Urban areas accounted for 15.193 million workers, compared to 19.636 million in rural regions. Men continued to dominate participation, representing 26.903 million of the labor force, while women accounted for 7.926 million.

The total number of unemployed individuals fell to 2.152 million, down from 2.229 million in the previous quarter. Of those unemployed, 1.019 million were men and 1.133 million were women.

Despite the quarterly decline, unemployment edged up 1% compared with the same quarter a year earlier.

Male unemployment dropped to 3.8%, compared to 4.0% in Q3 and 3.9% a year earlier. Female unemployment saw a more notable improvement, declining to 14.3%, down from 15.0% in the previous quarter and 16.6% in Q4 2024.

By residence, urban unemployment stood at 9.7%, down from 10.1% in Q3, though higher than the 8.9% recorded a year earlier. Rural unemployment improved to 3.4%, compared to 3.6% in the prior quarter and 4.5% year-on-year.

CAPMAS data shows that 82.1% of unemployed individuals hold intermediate, above-intermediate, or university-level qualifications, slightly down from 83.1% in Q3. Meanwhile, 17.9% of the unemployed had less than intermediate education.

University graduates accounted for 45.0% of the unemployed, up from 43.4% in the previous quarter, while those with intermediate and above-intermediate qualifications represented 37.1%.

Total employment rose 0.6% quarter-on-quarter to 32.677 million individuals, including 13.716 million in urban areas and 18.961 million in rural regions.

Wage earners made up the majority of the employed population, totaling 22.118 million individuals, or 67.7% of total employment. Self-employed workers accounted for 5.935 million (18.1%), while 2.022 million were employers hiring others (6.2%). Unpaid family workers represented 2.602 million, or 8%.

The overall labor force participation rate stood at 46.7% of the population aged 15 and above, slightly down from 46.9% in Q3 but higher than 45.5% a year earlier.

Male participation reached 70.8%, compared with 21.7% for females. Rural areas recorded a higher participation rate (47.5%) than urban centers (45.7%).

Employment remained concentrated in agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing employed 6.562 million individuals (20.1%), followed by wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair at 5.450 million (16.7%). Manufacturing accounted for 4.714 million workers (14.4%), while construction employed 3.480 million (10.6%). Transport and storage engaged 2.681 million workers (8.2%).