Egypt’s senior citizen population reached 10.2 million individuals in 2026, comprising 9.3 percent of the total population, according to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The figures mark an increase from 2025, when the country recorded 9.8 million older adults, or 9.1 percent of the population. The agency announced the findings in a press release issued on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons.
Demographics and Life Expectancy
For statistical purposes within Egypt, the threshold for older adults is established at 60 years of age and older, aligning with the nation’s current retirement age. Within the 2026 demographic data, male seniors total 5 million, accounting for 8.9 percent of the total male population. Female seniors number 5.2 million, representing 9.7 percent of the total female population.
Male life expectancy at birth rose from 69.4 years in 2025 to 69.7 years in 2026. For females, projected life expectancy increased from 74.4 years in 2025 to 74.7 years in 2026. Mortality rates among the elderly decreased from 41.8 per thousand in 2024 to 40.4 per thousand in 2025. Specifically, male senior mortality fell from 43.3 to 42.5 per thousand, while female senior mortality dropped from 40.3 to 38.3 per thousand over the same period.
Seniors Work Primarily in Agriculture While Illiteracy Rates Drop
Labor force data indicates that approximately 1.9 million older adults are actively employed, constituting 20 percent of the senior population. Of these working seniors, nearly half are engaged in agriculture and fishing, while 19 percent work in wholesale and retail trade activities.
Illiteracy rates among older adults fell from 52.4 percent in 2024 to 49.3 percent in 2025. A gender breakdown for 2025 shows illiteracy at 34.7 percent for older men and 64.4 percent for older women. Meanwhile, holders of university degrees or higher among seniors reached 11.2 percent in 2025, comprising 14.8 percent of elderly men and 7.5 percent of elderly women.
Institutional care and social support infrastructure across the republic included 169 care institutions serving 4,072 beneficiaries in 2024, alongside 157 senior clubs serving 30,759 individuals. Also, 2,872 households headed by older persons receive pensions from the Ministry of Social Solidarity, with total pension values for these households amounting to approximately 22.766 million pounds.
Egyptian Constitution Mandates State Support for Older Populations
State support for older populations is anchored in the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Article 83 of the constitution mandates that the state guarantee health, economic, social, cultural, and recreational rights for seniors, provide adequate pensions to secure a dignified life, and enable public participation while encouraging civil society organizations to contribute to elder care.
World Health Organization reports project that the number of people aged 60 and older will triple, climbing from 600 million in 2000 to two billion by 2050, with the vast majority residing in low- and middle-income countries. Worldwide life expectancy at birth reached 73.3 years in 2024, marking an 8.4-year increase since 1995. Global populations aged 60 and above are expected to expand from 1.1 billion in 2023 to 1.4 billion by 2030, a trend particularly pronounced in developing regions. United Nations estimates for 2025 place Monaco at the highest global proportion of older residents aged 65 and above at 37 percent, followed by Japan at 30 percent.
