Egypt has long been a destination for those seeking refuge and asylum. The country hosts a significant number of refugees and asylum-seekers from various nationalities, primarily due to conflicts and instability in neighboring regions. This article delves into the statistics of the refugee population in Egypt, the challenges they face, and the support they receive.
Refugees are defined as individuals recognized under international conventions, including the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention. This definition encompasses those granted refugee-like humanitarian status and temporary protection. Asylum seekers, on the other hand, are those awaiting a decision on their application for asylum or refugee status.
Registered Refugees and Asylum-Seekers
Egypt hosts more than 941,625 registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 61 nationalities. Starting in October 2023, the Sudanese nationality became the top nationality, followed by Syrians. This influx is largely due to the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Syria, which have forced many to seek safety in Egypt.
UNHCR's Role in Egypt
The UNHCR has been operational in Egypt since 1954, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Egyptian government. In response to the conflict in Sudan that broke out in April 2023, UNHCR has expanded its work with the Government of Egypt and partners to register and assist forcibly displaced people arriving in the country. UNHCR is present in various parts of the country, including Cairo, Alexandria, and other governorates, delivering lifesaving assistance to those most in need.
UNHCR also supports Syrian refugees who fled their war-torn land and started seeking asylum in Egypt in 2012. Representing diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds, the number of Syrians registered with UNHCR Egypt rose dramatically from 12,800 at the end of 2012 to more than 147,000 people at the end of 2024. At the same time, renewed conflicts and political instability in East Africa, and the Horn of Africa as well as the unrest in Iraq and Yemen, have driven thousands of South Sudanese, Ethiopian, Iraqi, and Yemeni individuals to seek refuge in Egypt.
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Refugees and asylum-seekers live in an urban setting in Egypt and are largely concentrated in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Sharkia, Damietta, and other cities in the North and East parts of the country.
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Challenges Faced by Refugees
In recent years, the economic conditions in the country have considerably increased the vulnerability of both refugees and host communities. With many refugees lacking a stable source of income, coupled with soaring inflation, basic needs are barely covered. Other challenges include limited livelihood opportunities and the language barrier facing non-Arabic-speaking refugees. Some also lack access to sustainable formal education that could support their development.
EU Humanitarian Aid
In 2024, the EU allocated €9 million in humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt. The EU is responding to the influx of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan by funding life-saving assistance such as food, water, sanitation, and hygiene items for those newly arriving across the border to Egypt. In addition, we support emergency cash assistance, child friendly spaces, and psychosocial support for the children.
EU humanitarian funding covers 2 main sectors: education in emergencies and basic needs. Around 38% of all refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt are children. There has been a sharp increase in the numbers of unaccompanied minors and separated children among recent arrivals.
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The EU also funds activities to improve access to formal and non-formal education for refugee children, focusing on primary and secondary school levels in both public and refugee community schools. An EU-funded learning recovery programme has equipped refugee teachers with tools to identify learning gaps and better develop students’ foundational skills in the classroom.
The EU provides cash assistance to vulnerable refugees in Egypt to help cover their basic needs and ensures core protection services. Due to the catastrophic worsening of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Egypt has become the main point of entry for delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Economic Impact and Integration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that the current number of international migrants residing in Egypt has reached a total of 9 million migrants and refugees. This migrant population consists of people originating from 133 countries, among whom the biggest groups are Sudanese (4 million), Syrians (1.5 million), Yemenis (1 million) and Libyans (1 million). These four nationalities constitute 80% of the international migrants currently residing in the country.
The Government of Egypt positive discourse towards migrants and refugees may be seen as a pull factor for the recent migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers flows. Egypt has been generous in including migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in the education and health national systems, including on equal footing with Egyptians in many instances and this, despite the challenges these two sectors are facing and the high economic costs.
The analysis shows that the average age of the majority of migrants is 35 years old with a balanced percentage of males (50.4%) and females (49.6%), with a majority of them (56%) residing in five governorates: Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Damietta and Dakhaleya. Also, the data collected from embassies and IOM studies reveal that more than one third of the population (37%) are working in stable jobs and businesses, indicating that migrants in Egypt are positively contributing to the labour market and the Egyptian economic growth.
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For instance, Syrians who constitutes 17% of international migrants’ stocks in Egypt, are one of the top nationalities contributing positively to the labour market and the Egyptian economy. It is estimated that the amount of funds invested by 30,000 registered Syrian investors in Egypt is approximately 1 billion dollars. This reflects the importance to enhance the integration of migrants to positively impact their host society.
IOM Egypt closely works with the Government of Egypt on creating legal pathways and better economic alternatives for Egyptian youth as a way to combat irregular migration. In 2020, the Government of Egypt in coordination with IOM, the International Labour Organization and GIZ, launched “Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and labour Mobility in North Africa (THAMM)”, a European-Union funded programme which works on identifying the regulatory framework of the recruitment of Egyptian workers in international markets.
Furthermore, IOM Egypt has cooperated with youth non-governmental organizations, in close coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, to create more than 100 environmentally friendly livelihood opportunities in Cairo and Alexandria, such as recycling, waste management, green enterprises and hydroponic farms.
IOM Egypt also collaborates with the Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs to create conditions for the Egyptian expatriates (estimated 10 - 14 million) to fully contribute to the sustainable development of Egypt. In November 2021, the Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs launched the National Strategy on Expatriates’ Engagement with the support of IOM. This is a tool for Egyptian expatriates willing to invest in their country of origin as actors in the national development process.
Refugees or Immigrants?
According to official statistics, the smallest group among the nine millions are the refugees and asylum seekers, who represent about 600,000 people registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt. The UNHCR works with the Government of Egypt to provide protection and legal services to these groups, especially those who were forcibly displaced.
The UNHCR also tries to ensure the inclusion of refugees in Egypt’s public health and education systems by providing support in the form of medical supplies and equipment, and financial assistance to schools that have registered to receive refugees.
Apart from this number, the remaining individuals are visitors and temporary residents, as well as migrants who try to regularize their status through various legal means to obtain long-term residency and subsequently integrate into society. According to official statements, 60 percent of foreigners living in Egypt have been residing in the country for about ten years, and 37 percent of them work in permanent jobs in stable companies. These groups do not receive any form of support.
An Economic Challenge or Opportunity?
According to these statistics, refugees represent the smallest bloc of the total number of foreigners residing in Egypt, and the Egyptian government does not bear their burden. Dollars and other foreign currencies. Dollar payments are not limited to obtaining government registration documents but often extend to paying rent and other expenses related to buying and selling real estate.
This trend is driven by the growing confidence in and reliance on foreign currencies among property owners, who often prefer renting to expatriates, as they are perceived to have more access to foreign currency than their Egyptian counterparts. This has led to an increased demand for services catering to the influx of foreigners, which, in turn, has caused rent prices to rise, with rates increasingly influenced by the exchange rate of foreign currencies.
Egyptian columnist Akram Alfi, who is keenly interested in demography, believes that most Sudanese and Syrian refugees and residents who came to Egypt belong to the upper and middle classes. These individuals have significant capital and can rely on their savings to live comfortably and integrate easily into the community. Therefore, these groups do not represent an economic burden but rather an economic opportunity for several reasons.
First, as the Egyptian government is publicly and openly reducing subsidies for goods and services, these residents are not taking advantage of subsidized resources that could strain the budget and public expenditures. Second, these refugees pay for services such as health, education, and housing in U.S, Dollars, contributing to the national economy rather than depleting it. Third, their presence in Egypt has revitalized economic sectors in which they have invested, such as real estate and hotels, some of which were on the verge of decline.
Looking deeper into the details, Alfi notes that among the Syrian immigrants now residing in Egypt many were living in Aleppo, a city that is predominantly Sunni Muslim. These Syrian refugees fled their hometown due to conflict and settled in Egypt and Turkey. Given Aleppo's history as a center of industry and commerce, they came with industrial, commercial, and educational affluence. Of the one and a half million Syrians residing in Egypt, approximately 200,000 are venture capitalists, while 600,000 to 700,000 work in family businesses.
The same applies to the Sudanese community, which Alfi believes has revitalized the real estate economy. Most of the Sudanese who came to Egypt belong to the upper and upper-middle classes, similar to their Syrian counterparts. Over the past forty years, Sudanese who settled in Cairo have preferred specific neighborhoods such as Mohandessin and Faisal. Dollars or invested their money in purchasing real estate, leading to a boom in the local real estate market.
Therefore, it is possible to consider foreign residents in Egypt, across all categories, as an important addition that positively impacts the Egyptian economy without affecting opportunities available to Egyptians. Dollar payments for these services are expected to foster growth to accommodate the increasing number of users.
| Nationality | Estimated Number |
|---|---|
| Sudanese | 4 million |
| Syrians | 1.5 million |
| Yemenis | 1 million |
| Libyans | 1 million |
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