Perhaps the most serious threat to Egypt’s economic well-
being is population growth. Even though it has slowed mark-
edly in recent decades, the population growth rate is still high,
and Egypt’s population is expected to grow by two-thirds in
the next half century. This expected surge in people means that
the country faces a huge struggle just to break even, much less
gain ground economically. Again, more attention to the root
problem of poverty is essential to reduce birthrates. Women,
in particular rural women, need more education—there is
a worldwide correlation between greater female literacy and
lower birthrates. This will require some fundamental cultural
changes. Parents will need to be convinced that their daughters
can and should go to school—now they tend to hold the girls
back with the belief that “their place is in the home” and there-
fore they need not be formally educated.
Egypt’s past and potential domestic unrest also has roots
in the country’s poverty. Islamist extremism originated in
Upper Egypt, the poorest part of the country, and made
progress as extremists argued that Islamic law was the one
true alternative to a political system that benefited mainly