EGYPT - AGEING POPULATION

Abstract

EGYPT Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East and the third-most populous on the African continent (after Nigeria and Ethiopia). One of the main features of the Egyptian population over the last few decades is the gradual increase in the absolute and relative numbers of older people. This trend is expected to continue over the next decades. The Egyptian census is carried out every 10 years, last one was in 2006. The percent of older people‖ defined as 60 yrs of age and more‖ was 4.4% in 1976, 5.66% in1986, 5.75% in 1996, and rising to 6.27% in 2006, to be 7.2% in 2013. The percentage is projected to be 8.1% in 2016, and 9.2% in 2021, and it is expected to reach 20.8% in 2050. This means that, around 20 million Egyptians will be categorized as elderly by that time, this is a big number that resembles a full nation at some parts of the world. There is an urgent need for the implementation of a national policy for elderly care. Although such policies exist, the effectiveness of existing policies and the role of national committees need to be evaluated in order to revive and mobilize the resources available. Older people, as stakeholders, are expected to participate in the implementation of the national policy through all phases of planning, intervention, and evaluation.