📜 A long story
Egypt, 1800 → today
Egypt grew from 3.5 million in 1800 to 115 million; a newborn can expect 38.6 more years of life than in 1927, and output per person is 14× its 1820 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 3.5 million people lived in Egypt.
1900
9.94 million people.
2.8× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1872.
1950
21.2 million people.
2.1× the 1900 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1943.
2023
115 million people, the latest year in this series.
5.4× the 1950 level
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1971.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 1999.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1927
In 1927, a newborn in Egypt could expect to live 33 years, on average.
1950
34 years.
+1 years since 1927
The sharpest fall in the data: down 6.2 years between 1939 and 1943 (36 years → 29.8 years).
2023
71.6 years, the latest year in this series.
+38 years since 1950
Passed 40 years in 1955.
Passed 50 years in 1973.
Passed 60 years in 1986.
Passed 70 years in 2015.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1820
In 1820, Egypt produced about Int$956 per person, in 2011 prices.
1950
Int$1,450.
1.5× the 1820 level
2022
Int$13,200, the latest year in this series.
9.1× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1820 level in 1965.
Reached 5 times the 1820 level in 1995.
Reached 10 times the 1820 level in 2008.
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1911
In 1911, fossil fuels and industry in Egypt emitted about 0.00096 t of CO₂ per person.
1950
0.5 t.
506× the 1911 level
Reached twice the 1911 level, reached 5 times the 1911 level in 1912.
Reached 10 times the 1911 level, reached 20 times the 1911 level in 1914.
Reached 50 times the 1911 level in 1918.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 71% between 1914 and 1915 (0.026 t → 0.0076 t).
2024
2.2 t, the latest year in this series.
4.6× the 1950 level
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
☕ Chapter 5 · Years of schooling
How long do people go to school?
1870
In 1870, people aged 15–64 in Egypt had spent 0.02 years in school, on average.
1900
0.1 years.
+0.07 years since 1870
1950
0.5 years.
+0.45 years since 1900
2015
7.5 years, the latest year in this series.
+7 years since 1950
Passed 2 years in 1980.
Passed 4 years in 1990.
Passed 6 years in 2000.
Long-run series (Lee & Lee, Barro & Lee) for people aged 15–64, every 5 years until 2015: a different age group than today’s figure (25 and older).