The International Organization for Migration in Egypt estimated the current number of international migrants living in Egypt at nine million people from 133 countries.
The IOM said in a report issued on Sunday, that the current number of international migrants residing in Egypt is 9,012,582, which is equivalent to 8.7 percent of the Egyptian population (103,655,989).
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of migrants since 2019, it noted, due to prolonged instability in the countries neighboring Egypt, which prompted thousands of Sudanese, South Sudanese, Syrians, Ethiopians, Iraqis and Yemenis to seek refuge there.
The organization explained that the positive discourse of the Egyptian government towards migrants and refugees has encouraged refugees to come to Egypt.
Egypt has been generous in including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the national education and health systems on an equal footing with Egyptians in many cases, the report said, despite the challenges faced by these two sectors and the heavy economic costs.
This migrant population consists of people originating from 133 countries, among whom the biggest groups are Sudanese (4 million), Syrians (1.5 million), Yemenis (one million) and Libyans (one million). These four nationalities constitute 80 percent of the international migrants currently residing in the country.
The analysis shows that the average age of the majority of migrants is 35 years old with a balanced percentage of males (50.4 percent) and females (49.6 percent), with a majority of them (56 percent) residing in five governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Damietta and Dakhaleya.
The rest of the migrants live in governorates, such as Assiut, Aswan, Gharbiya, Ismailia, Luxor, Marsa Matruh, Menoufiya, Minya, Port Said, Qaliuyiba, Qena, the Red Sea Governorate (Hurghada, Sharm Al-Sheikh with small numbers in Sinai Peninsula, specifically Dahab city), Sharqyia, Sohag and Suez.
Positive contributions
Data collected from embassies and the IOM reveals that more than one third of the population (37 percent) are working in stable jobs and businesses, indicating that migrants in Egypt are positively contributing to the labor market and the Egyptian economic growth.
Syrians for instance constitute 17 percent of international migrant stocks in Egypt, becoming one of the top nationalities contributing positively to the labor market and the Egyptian economy.
It is estimated that the amount of funds invested by 30,000 registered Syrian investors in Egypt is approximately one billion dollars.
This reflects the importance to enhance the integration of migrants to positively impact their host society.
The analysis of the duration of stay of migrants in Egypt demonstrates that 60 percent of those international migrants living in Egypt are well integrated for more than 10 years (5.5 million persons), with 6 percent integrated for 15 years or more (second generations included).
IOM Egypt started its assessment in October 2021, which was concluded with concrete quantifiable in June
The IOM has used multiple research methods to get the most accurate number and profile of migrants in Egypt.
The surveys were done through consultations with diplomatic representations of more than 100 countries present in Egypt, coupled with migrant focus groups, surveys among 63 community leaders.
It also utilized data collected by the organization through its daily interaction with migrants, academic desk review of available data on migrants’ stocks in Egypt and past IOM empirical studies. IOM collected information on the number of international migrants in Egypt, disaggregated by gender, age, location, duration and purpose of stay, as well as work status.
