The Egyptian government aims to reduce the country’s surging fertility rate to 2.4 over the next 15 years, from its current rate of 3.5.
Minister of State for Population Hala Youssef told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the government is providing financial incentives to keep children in school, expanding family planning services and boosting public awareness in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and local communities.
A study released late last year by Egypt’s Health Ministry and an organization funded by the US Agency for International Development showed that the birth rate, which had been falling since at least 1980, rose dramatically after 2008.
The Arab world’s most populous country has struggled for decades to provide jobs and services to its citizens. Egypt has a current population of around 90 million.
