Egypt is one of the most populated countries not only in the African continent but also in the Middle East and in the Arab world. According to the 2006 census conducted by government's statistics agency, the population of Egypt has sprung up to 72.6 million with a growth rate of 2.0 percent each year in the past decade.
In the year 1996 and 1986, the growth rate had been 2.1 and 2.8 respectively thus suggesting that the current growth rate has diminished. There was a huge population shift during the period of 1960s and 1970s when there was an influx of migrants from the rural areas to the cities.
Majority of the population in Egypt is concentrated on the fertile banks of river Nile, especially in Alexandria and Cairo, within the Delta and the Suez Canal. Thus there is unequal distribution of population in the various parts of the country. Cairo, the capital of Egypt has the highest population density (2136.1 person per sq km against 63.7 person per sq km).
The results of the past five censuses have shown that in spite of the decreasing fertility rates, there has been a continual rise in the population of Egypt. Over the past decade, the population of Egypt has expanded by 15 million and it is estimated to reach 138 million within the next fifty years. Thus it is feared that if such population explosion takes place in the coming years, then all agrarian land within the Nile valley will diminish between 2070-2100.
The biggest ethnic group in Egypt are the Egyptians, comprising the bulk of the population. Other minor ethnic groups include the Bedouin Arab clans inhabiting the Sinai Peninsula and the eastern deserts, the Berber-speaking Siwis, the ancient communities of the Nubians and Bejas and a group of Dom tribes. Apart from this, Egypt is also home to a large number of asylum seekers, Sudanese and Palestinian refugees.
