Egypt
General presentation
Official name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Type of government: Semi-presidential (constitution of January
18, 2014)
Area: 1,002,000 km2
Capital: Cairo (22 million inhabitants)
Main cities: Alexandria, Port Said, Asyut, Luxor, Aswan
Official language: Arabic
National holiday: 23 July (in commemoration of the Free Officers’
Revolution of 23 July 1952)
Population (2020): 102.3 M inhabitants
Density: 99 inhabitants/km2 (95% of Egypt’s surface is desert.
Density in the Nile Delta and Valley is estimated at 1,500 inhabitants/km2)
Population growth (2020): 2% per year
Literacy rate (2019): 80.8
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Economic situation
Egypt’s GDP, the second largest in Africa, was approximately $362 billion in 2019/20. It is the result of a diversified economy structured around manufacturing (16%), real estate and construction (17%), wholesale and retail trade (14%), agriculture, forestry & fisheries (11%) and mining (10%). The public sector is a major player in the economy, accounting for 31% of activity and 56% of investment (all public sectors combined). The Army is also an important economic player, including in the civilian sector. Moreover, the inclusion of the informal sector, which would account for 50 percent of total employment, would increase GDP by at least 40 percent. Egypt has traditionally benefited from the revenues of four rents: Diaspora remittances ($22bn/year on average since 2013/14), tourism (up to $12bn/year before the 2011 revolution, revenues fell to $3.8bn in 2015/16 and have since increased significantly to $12.6bn in 2018/19 before falling to $9.9bn last year due to the health crisis), Suez Canal user fees ($5.8bn in 2019/20). In addition, hydrocarbon sales ($11.6bn in 2018/19) and an energy balance that returned to surplus in 2018/19 (a symbolic $8m surplus) after five years of deficit, account for 41% of exports.
Source: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Bilateral Relations
Bilateral investment treaties
Work in process
Double taxation agreements
Work in process
Free trade agreements
Work in process
Leading sector for Swiss companies
Work in process
Indicators
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 E | 2019 E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (in billions of USD) | 332.48 | 236.53 | 249.47 | 298.15 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | 3684 | 2495 | 2572 | 3005 |
| Growth rate | 4.3% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 5.5% |
| Unemployment rate | 12.7% | 12.6% | ||
| Inflation rate | 10.2% | 23.5% | 20.9% | 14.% |
| Public debt (% of GDP) | 97.1% | 103.040% | 92.519% | 87.050% |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -19.83% | -14.92% | -6.37% | -7.29% |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -6.0% | -6.33% | -2.6% | -2.4% |
(Sources FMI, Banque Mondiale)
Main customers
2018: Italy 7.0%, Turkey 6.9%, E-A-U 6.8%, US 5.9%, AS 4.9
Source Comtrade
Main suppliers
2018 : Chine 14,2%, A S 7,%, USA 6,7%, Russie 6,0,%, Allemagne 5,1%.
Source Comtrade
Swiss exports to
Work in process
Exports of …. to Switzerland
Work in process
Swiss direct investment in
Work in process
The business climate
Work in process