Market Intelligence Brief - Egypt 2019-20

The Arab Republic of Egypt is home to the largest and fastest growing population in the MENA region. Of the 100 million-strong population, 61 per cent are under the age of 30, making way for a huge boom in demand for education. However, the Egyptian education system is struggling to cope with the increasing number of students and is not adequately preparing students to meet the current labour market needs. The Egyptian government is working with the World Bank to reform its education system to one that will produce graduates with the skills for developing a modern economy.

The Egyptian government is seeking to attract more international universities to develop branch campuses, particularly in the New Administrative Capital. Egypt is a popular destination for international study, particularly for other Middle Eastern and African countries, and sees more than 70,000 inbound students every year. Egyptian students are however increasingly looking abroad. The strains on the local public education system and socio-political unrest has boosted outbound student numbers. The number of Egyptians going abroad since the 2011 revolution has increased dramatically and the UK has benefitted from this trend, with Egyptian students nearly doubling between 2008/09 and 2018/19.