Egypt’s unemployment rate fell to 6.3% in 2025, down from 6.6% the previous year, supported by effective economic reforms as the country’s workforce expanded to 34.15m, Planning and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Rostom said.
The total workforce increased by 6.6% from 32.04m in 2024, indicating the labour market’s capacity to absorb a significant portion of new entrants, Rostom told a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the New Administrative Capital. The number of employed individuals rose by 7% to reach 32m, compared to 29.9m in 2024.
Joblessness among youth aged 15 to 29 declined to 13.2% in 2025 from 14.9% in 2024. Within the same age bracket, the unemployment rate for those holding intermediate, above-intermediate, and university degrees or higher dropped to 16.8% from 18.7%. Rostom noted these indicators reflect a general improvement in labour market conditions, particularly for youth, who are among the demographics most affected by unemployment.
The male unemployment rate decreased to 3.7% in 2025 from 4.2% in 2024. Meanwhile, female unemployment fell to 15.3% from 17.1% in the previous year, marking the lowest jobless rate for women since 2021, when it stood at 16%.
The simultaneous growth in both the workforce and employment figures indicates an improvement in the economy’s ability to generate job opportunities that align with workforce expansion, despite some continuing limited pressures on employment, Rostom added.
