Destinations › Africa · The Destination Index · universal template · every figure sourced
Egypt.
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula. 1,001,450 sq km and 118,365,995 people, 2,450 km of coastline, desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters.
Region · AfricaPopulation · ~118,365,995Languages · Egyptian Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic (official), Nubian, Coptic in liturgyEco Index · 60/100 · Passable
13,026,000 visitors a year · 118,365,995 residents
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Conservation
Wildlife
Water
Food & farming
Organic & clean
Climate & energy
Waste
Health
Heritage
Ownership
Governance
Future
The History of Egypt.
Egypt sustains rich living heritage across music, dance and ancestral spiritual traditions. Tahtib, the Saidi stick dance, is inscribed by UNESCO, while raqs sharqi and the Sufi Tanoura spinning dance remain widely performed.
Where the name comes from
Miṣr in Arabic, the name Egyptians use. 'Egypt' comes through Greek Aigyptos, itself thought to derive from an Egyptian name for Memphis, Hut-ka-Ptah. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: a vast desert plateau broken by the Nile valley and its delta. Its high point is Mount Catherine, 2,629 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
Nabta Playa, before the pharaohs
In the desert west of the Nile, Nabta Playa is one of the earliest sites of the Nubian Neolithic, dated to around 7500 BC. Its stone circle, raised in the fifth millennium BC, may carry astronomical alignments and is among the oldest such structures known anywhere. A unified kingdom arose along the Nile around 3200 BC, and dynasties ruled for roughly three thousand years, developing monumental stone building, a mature writing system, medicine and mathematics.
How it got here
Kush, Alexandria, the canal
The Kingdom of Kush to the south ruled Egypt as its 25th Dynasty and later built its own pyramids at Meroe. Alexandria, founded in 332 BC, became a centre of learning for the Mediterranean world. Arab conquest in AD 641 brought Islam and Arabic. The Mamluk Sultanate ruled Egypt and Syria and halted the Mongol advance in 1260. The Suez Canal opened in 1869, and the debt taken on to build it opened the way to British occupation from 1882. Egypt nationalised the canal in 1956.
The timeline
c. 7500 BC
Nabta Playa.
One of the earliest sites of the Nubian Neolithic, in the desert west of the Nile. Its stone circle, raised in the fifth millennium BC, may carry astronomical alignments, and is among the oldest such structures known. ↗
c. 3200 BC
A unified kingdom.
A unified kingdom arises along the Nile, followed by dynasties ruling for roughly three millennia. ↗
c. 2600 BC onward
Pyramids and writing.
Monumental stone building and a mature writing system develop, alongside record-keeping, medicine and mathematics. ↗
c. 1070 BC to AD 350
Nubia and Kush.
The Kingdom of Kush to the south rules Egypt as its 25th Dynasty, and later builds its own pyramids at Meroe. ↗
332 BC
Macedonian and Ptolemaic rule.
Alexandria is founded and becomes a centre of learning for the Mediterranean world. ↗
AD 641
Arab conquest.
Arab conquest brings Islam and the Arabic language, which come to shape the country. ↗
1250 to 1517
The Mamluk Sultanate.
A sultanate rules Egypt and Syria and halts the Mongol advance at Ain Jalut in 1260. ↗
1869
The Suez Canal opens.
The canal reshapes world shipping, and the debt taken on to build it opens the way to foreign control. ↗
1882 to 1952
British occupation.
Britain occupies Egypt, formally ending in stages, with full sovereignty asserted after 1952. ↗
1956
The canal is nationalised.
Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal Company in July 1956, taking into Egyptian hands a waterway that had been foreign owned since it opened in 1869. Britain, France and Israel invaded on 29 October and withdrew under international pressure, leaving the canal Egyptian. ↗
Protected areas cover about 13.1% of Egypt's land (World Bank, 2023) and roughly 5.0% of its territorial waters, including genuine sites such as Ras Mohammed National Park, St Katherine and Wadi El Rayan. Coverage is reasonable but enforcement and funding are uneven and some reserves function largely on paper. Marine protection of the Red Sea reefs remains limited relative to the pressure from tourism.
Is wild Egypt protected? 13.1% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
Recorded in Egypt and named in the open record. Endemic status is stated per species, not implied by this list.
Egyptian weasel
Eg
Pallid gerbil
Pa
Flower's shrew
Fl
Nile Delta toad
Ni
Sinai baton blue butterfly
Si
Restricted to the St Katherine massif in South Sinai
Re
The watchlist
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedBrown shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
ThreatenedPseudophilotes sinaicusCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedMicromeria serbalianaCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedAnguilla anguillaCritically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedFire coral (Millepora complanata)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedHalavi ray (Glaucostegus halavi)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
ThreatenedHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Egypt in GBIF occurrence data (shark or ray).
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Egypt. GBIF holds 312 verified occurrence records.
Brown shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Egypt. GBIF holds 104 verified occurrence records.
Pseudophilotes sinaicus
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Egypt. GBIF holds 2 verified occurrence records.
Micromeria serbaliana
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Egypt. GBIF holds 3 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Egypt filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Botanical garden in Red Sea, mapped and named in the open record for Egypt. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Egypt.
Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line. Only about 78% of Egyptians use safely managed drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2023), and the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam upstream adds long-term supply risk.
Does Egypt have enough fresh water? Under pressure
78.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Most homes have a safe supply, but coverage is not universal, so check locally before drinking from the tap.
Cleanest water: The southern Red Sea around Marsa Alam and Ras Mohammed National Park, known for clear, high-visibility reef water.
How much fresh water does Egypt have, per person?
9 m³
Egypt
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Egypt withdraws about 77,500 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 141% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as critical water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 79%, homes and towns 14%, industry 7%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Egypt beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✕Plastic rules: No national ban.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 5% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Where does the sewage go?
57.3%
of people have safely managed sanitation
57.3% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Egypt doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Relentless sun; the best months are Oct–Apr; summer is furnace-like.
Nearshore
Protected water
5% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
The southern Red Sea around Marsa Alam and Ras Mohammed National Park, known for clear, high-visibility reef water..
The record
Measured
Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line.
Sea protected
5%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
138
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Cleanest water
here
The southern Red Sea around Marsa Alam and Ras Mohammed National Park, known for clear, high-visibility reef water..
Is the tap water safe in Egypt?
78.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 9 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Withdrawals run to 7,750% of what the country itself renews, so most of the supply is drawn from rivers or aquifers that start outside its borders. Egypt withdraws 7,750% of the fresh water it renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). Anything above 100% means the country is living on water that arrives from outside its borders, or on groundwater that is not being replaced. This is one of the most stressed supplies measured anywhere.
When is the best time to visit Egypt? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
.
How much fresh water does Egypt actually have?
Nature renews about 9 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Egypt 3 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 10 driest countries on Earth per person. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is below that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food made up about 20.4% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), but Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer, with wheat imports forecast near 13.5 million tonnes and total cereal imports around 29 million tonnes (FAO GIEWS), and the World Food Programme notes it relies on global markets for more than half of its staples. At the same time the Nile Delta and Valley are intensively farmed, making Egypt a major exporter of citrus, onions, potatoes and other fruit and vegetables. It is therefore largely self-sufficient in fresh produce but heavily import-dependent for grains, oils and sugar.
Where does the food in Egypt come from?
20.4% imported
about US$19,940m a year
On the plate: Ful medames (stewed fava beans), koshari, ta'meya (fava-bean falafel), aish baladi flatbread, molokhia, lentils, rice and dates.
How often each food is on the plate
Share of people eating each one regularly. These overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Koshari51%
Aish baladi flatbread33%
Molokhia24%
Lentils15%
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$19,940m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 20.4% of everything Egypt buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 16.6% of the economy and 4.1% of the land is agricultural, of which 3.1% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Egypt? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined64.2%
Diabetes22.4%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 73.4%.
Can Egypt feed itself?
3.1%
Arable land
4.1%
Agricultural land
6,327,513
Farmers
7,667,668
Arable acres
16.6%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Year-round under Nile irrigation, with wheat harvested in April and May, cotton and dates in autumn, and citrus through the winter.
Feeding itself
Food made up about 20.4% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), but Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer, with wheat imports forecast near 13.5 million tonnes and total cereal imports around 29 million tonnes (FAO GIEWS), and the World Food Programme notes it relies on global markets for more than half of its staples. At the same time the Nile Delta and Valley are intensively farmed, making Egypt a major exporter of citrus, onions, potatoes and other fruit and vegetables.
Certification
Certified organic farmland is about 3.0% of agricultural land, roughly 116,000 hectares (FiBL, 2020), which is modest and skewed towards export crops such as cotton and herbs. The domestic organic market is small.
Water for crops
Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for Egypt, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 4.1% of the country is agricultural land and 3.1% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Egypt are sugar beet, sugarcane, wheat, potatoes and tomatoes (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Aswan Market, Bassem Market, Commercial Market, Fish Market, Touist Market, Fish market. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Egypt's electricity system is dominated by natural gas, with renewables supplying only around 12 per cent of generation in 2023, roughly 7 per cent hydropower from the Aswan High Dam and about 5 per cent wind and solar. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.55 tonnes per person in 2023, reflecting modest per-person consumption. Egypt hosted the COP27 climate summit in 2022 and targets 42 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 through projects such as the Benban solar park, yet it is at the same time expanding gas production and liquefied natural gas exports. Delivery on decarbonisation has so far been weak.
What powers Egypt?
Renewable 13%Fossil 87%
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.5 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
2.5 tonnes
The grid
Egypt's electricity system is dominated by natural gas, with renewables supplying only around 12 per cent of generation in 2023, roughly 7 per cent hydropower from the Aswan High Dam and about 5 per cent wind and solar. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.55 tonnes per person in 2023, reflecting modest per-person consumption.
Pollution
Air pollution is severe, with mean PM2.5 exposure of about 43 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank/IUCN, 2023), several times the WHO guideline, and Cairo's air measured at 10 to 100 times acceptable world standards. There is no comprehensive national single-use plastic ban, litter and plastic in the Nile and on the coasts are common, and open burning of waste adds to urban smog.
Water stress
Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line.
What pollutes most here
1The gridThe share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.88.3%
2IndustryLarge resort and cruise tourism that strains reefs and freshwater, coral-damaging dive and snorkel operators, and horse and camel rides at the pyramids..named
3AirModelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.43
4On the recordAir pollution is severe, with mean PM2.5 exposure of about 43 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank/IUCN, 2023), several times the WHO guideline, around eight times the WHO guideline of 5 micrograms.
What has Egypt promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today12.2% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target13.1% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target5.1% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 12.2% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 87.8% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.5 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.6 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy2.2 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.62 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.49 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.13 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Egypt emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Egypt.
Data centres
6
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
13.0 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Egypt?
Almost everything a machine here consumes is burned fossil fuel.
Renewable 13%Fossil 87%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 12.2% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Egypt has 6 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Cairo (2), Giza (2), Tenth of Ramadan (1), alongside 3 internet exchanges (CAIX, PyramIX, EG-IX). Named sites include CityNet Host, Ramses Exchange, AUTO DATA Center, GPX Cairo 1.
Where the cables land. 9 landing points · Abu Talat, Alexandria, Port Said, Ras Ghareb
90% residents to 10% visitors across a year. 13,026,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 118,365,995 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Egypt
13,026k
Visitors a year
0.1
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Egypt?· for every $100 Egypt earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2005 peak
$ 98The worst year on the IMF record. Egypt owed $98 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2005signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 87What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 71The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $71 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Egypt earns in a year, it owes $87 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Egypt?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 13,026,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 118,365,995 residents, one visitor a year for every 9 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play
2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Egypt is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published
3
The plate
Food is 20.4% of everything Egypt imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, sugar beets, wheat, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, onions, oranges, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in
4
The power
87.8% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away
5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave Egypt. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think
6
Pay the bank first
Egypt owes $87 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$87 per $100
7
A spread hand
The largest single export, mineral fuels and oils, is 18.2% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 18.2%
8
Community chest
Tourism earns 12.2% of everything Egypt makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
12.2% of exports
9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 2.60 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.60 t CO2
10
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$430 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$430bn
GDPUS$365.3bn
Agriculture, share of GDP16.6%
Visitors a year13,026,000
Visitors per resident0.1
Residents~118,365,995
Agriculture
Farming is 16.6% of the economy. Food made up about 20.4% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), but Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer, with wheat imports forecast near 13.5 million tonnes and total cereal imports around 29 million tonnes (FAO GIEWS), and the World Food Programme notes it relies on global markets for more than half of its staples.
Natural materials
Egypt has one of the world's deepest living natural-materials traditions. It gives its name to extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense), and has made linen from flax since pharaonic times, paper from the Nile papyrus reed, palm-leaf baskets and Bedouin wool weaving.
Energy
Egypt's electricity system is dominated by natural gas, with renewables supplying only around 12 per cent of generation in 2023, roughly 7 per cent hydropower from the Aswan High Dam and about 5 per cent wind and solar. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.55 tonnes per person in 2023, reflecting modest per-person consumption.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Egypt?
By rooms · company records and press.
Eco Nubia Ecolodge · ~9 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20149,878k
20159,328k
20165,399k
20178,292k
201811,346k
201913,026k
International tourism receipts run at about US$4.87 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 12.2% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
All-inclusive resortForeign-owned hotel and tourist restaurantsLocally owned stay and local restaurantsGuesthouse, markets and public transport
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking ful medames (stewed fava beans), koshari, ta'meya (fava-bean falafel), aish baladi flatbread, molokhia, lentils, rice and dates. over imported menus. The checked list →
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours →
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays →
4. Use the transport residents use Trains run along the Nile between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, domestic flights and Nile cruises link the main sites, and ride-hailing apps and microbuses cover the cities.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
swipe →
First time here
Egypt is a near-total desert where almost the entire population, its farming and its freshwater depend on the Nile, pairing strong plant-based food and natural-fibre traditions with acute water scarcity and some of the world's worst urban air.
Best time: Autumn to spring, when desert and city heat eases.
Getting around
Trains run along the Nile between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, domestic flights and Nile cruises link the main sites, and ride-hailing apps and microbuses cover the cities.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is ful medames (stewed fava beans), koshari, ta'meya (fava-bean falafel), aish baladi flatbread, molokhia, lentils, rice and dates.. Everyday Egyptian food is among the most plant-forward in the world.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cash everywhere; EGP. Bargaining is expected; photography fees at some sites.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Eco Nubia Ecolodge
.
Who owns the place to stay
Eco Nubia EcolodgeIndependent · 9 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Egypt.
How well is Egypt actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Egypt scores 36 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
How well is Egypt run? · each scored out of 100, higher is better
Clean government, scored 31 of 100
Control of corruption scores 31.1 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is below the halfway mark of governments measured.
31
Freedom and rights, scored 29 of 100
Voice and accountability, which measures free expression, free media and the ability to choose a government, scores 28.8 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Room to question the government publicly is limited.
29
Government effectiveness, scored 50 of 100
Government effectiveness, which measures the quality of public services and how well policy is actually delivered, scores 49.5 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Delivery is rated below average, so a pledge on paper is not the same as a pledge kept.
50
Income equality, scored 29 of 100
The Gini index of income inequality reads 28.5 (2021, World Bank). Zero is perfect equality and 100 is one person holding everything. Below 40 is the level usually treated as manageable, and Egypt sits inside it.
29
LGBTQ+ status: IllegalSolo female travel: Take care79.5% adult literacyIndustry to avoid: Large resort and cruise tourism that strains reefs and freshwater, coral-damaging dive and snorkel operators, and horse and camel rides at the pyramids.
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Trains run along the Nile between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, domestic flights and Nile cruises link the main sites, and ride-hailing apps and microbuses cover the cities.
✓Air quality, measured Modelled annual mean 43. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
✓Where the air is cleanest The Red Sea coast and Western Desert oases such as Siwa and Marsa Alam, far from Cairo's smog.
·Tap water Not drinkable
✓What to drink Bottled water; be strict with ice and salads.
✓Plastic rules No national ban
✓Sockets and voltage Type C/D/M, 230V
79.5%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 3.8% of GDP and 10.9% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 84.8% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2008 to 2024).
Made in Egypt.
Egypt has one of the world's deepest living natural-materials traditions. It gives its name to extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense), and has made linen from flax since pharaonic times, paper from the Nile papyrus reed, palm-leaf baskets and Bedouin wool weaving. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Egypt actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Egypt sells the world is mineral fuels and oils, 18.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$7.72 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are electrical machinery and electronics at 6.2%, fertilisers at 6.1%, iron and steel at 5.5%, plastics at 5.4%.
Made now · natural materials
Linen from flax
Worked in Egypt from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Paper from the Nile papyrus reed
Worked in Egypt from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Palm-leaf baskets
Worked in Egypt from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Bedouin wool weaving. These crafts are still produced
Worked in Egypt from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Traded today
Worked in Egypt from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 8.4% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Egypt imported US$7.10 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 8.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.6% of imports
Cereals
Egypt imported US$6.43 billion of cereals in 2023, 7.6% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.3% of imports
Pharmaceuticals
Egypt imported US$3.64 billion of pharmaceuticals in 2023, 4.3% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.3% of imports
Vehicles
Egypt imported US$3.61 billion of vehicles in 2023, 4.3% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Egypt produces about US$365 billion a year, which is roughly US$3,086 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 16.6% of that, while food is 20.4% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
A living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
Saidi stick dance (UNESCO)
A living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
Raqs sharqi
A living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
Tanoura Sufi spinning dance
A living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
MizmarA living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
Tabla folk musicA living tradition of Egypt, still practised rather than archived.
Does Egypt protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Egypt sustains rich living heritage across music, dance and ancestral spiritual traditions. Tahtib, the Saidi stick dance, is inscribed by UNESCO, while raqs sharqi and the Sufi Tanoura spinning dance remain widely performed. Folk music on the mizmar and tabla, the popular sha'abi style, and distinctive Nubian music and traditions stay very much alive.
Who it belongs to. Egypt has genuinely living cultures beyond its ancient monuments, including Nubian communities around Aswan, Bedouin of Sinai and the Western Desert, and the Amazigh (Siwan) of Siwa Oasis, and community and homestay tourism exists in these places. However the dominant tourism economy is extractive, built on large Red Sea resorts, Nile cruises and heavily commercialised heritage sites. The living and the extractive sit side by side.
Only here. The Sinai baton blue butterfly (Pseudophilotes sinaicus), among the world's smallest butterflies, found only in the high mountains around St Katherine in South Sinai..
Three futures for Egypt, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Egyptian Museum (Cairo), Museum of Islamic Art (Cairo), Grand Egyptian Museum (Aj Jiza), The Coptic Museum (Cairo), National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (Cairo). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Eady Craft Shop, Philae Bazaar, Samir & Aly, Save the Tally Craft.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
-13%
Forest cover
1995: 0.052 % → 2023: 0.045 %
-45%
Renewable electricity
1995: 22.2 % → 2021: 12.2 %
+65%
CO2 per person
1995: 1.52 t → 2024: 2.5 t
+316%
Tourist arrivals
1995: 3133 k → 2019: 13026 k
+0%
Protected land
2013: 13.1 % → 2025: 13.1 %
-50%
Farm workforce
1995: 34.9 % → 2025: 17.5 %
+2%
Protected sea
2013: 5 % → 2025: 5.1 %
+24%
Agricultural land
1995: 3.3 % → 2023: 4.08 %
+0%
Urban population
1995: 42.7 % → 2025: 42.9 %
-19%
Air pollution
1995: 53.4 µg/m³ → 2023: 43.1 µg/m³
-42%
Fresh water per person
1995: 15.2 m³ → 2022: 8.9 m³
+28%
Adult overweight
1995: 57.3 % → 2022: 73.4 %
+5%
Electricity access
1995: 95.5 % → 2024: 100 %
+237%
GDP per person
1995: 916 → 2025: 3086
+80%
Population
1995: 65653 k → 2025: 118366 k
-35%
Renewable energy use
1995: 9.4 % → 2021: 6.1 %
+66%
Energy per person
1995: 557.8 kg → 2023: 928.4 kg
+1%
Protected area, total
2013: 11.5 % → 2025: 11.6 %
+10%
Life expectancy
1995: 65.2 yrs → 2024: 71.8 yrs
+25%
Cereal yield
1995: 5904 ha → 2023: 7402 ha
+33%
Fertiliser use
1995: 399.9 ha → 2023: 532.8 ha
-0%
Rural population
1995: 57.3 % → 2025: 57.1 %
+151%
Water productivity
1995: 2.33 $/m3 → 2022: 5.86 $/m3
-1%
Health spending
2000: 4.92 % → 2023: 4.88 %
-13%
Forest area
1995: 515.1 km2 → 2023: 449.8 km2
+111%
Electric power use
1995: 707.7 kWh → 2023: 1493 kWh
+15%
Emissions: Agriculture
1990: 21 e → 2023: 24.3 e
+60%
Emissions: Building
1990: 10.5 e → 2023: 16.8 e
+334%
Emissions: Electricity/Heat
1990: 25.4 e → 2023: 110.4 e
+174%
Emissions: Energy
1990: 97.6 e → 2023: 267.3 e
+325%
Emissions: Industrial Processes
1990: 7.5 e → 2023: 31.8 e
+66%
Emissions: Manufacturing/Construction
1990: 26.6 e → 2023: 44.2 e
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 0.1% to 0.0% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 22.2% to 12.2% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 1.5 t to 2.5 t across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 3133k to 13026k across 24 recorded years.
World Bank ST.INT.ARVL
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 13.1% to 13.1% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 34.9% to 17.5% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 5.0% to 5.1% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 3.3% to 4.1% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.AGRI.ZS
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 42.7% to 42.9% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 53.4 µg/m³ to 43.1 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 15.2 m³ to 8.9 m³ across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.H2O.INTR.PC
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 57.3% to 73.3% across 27 recorded years.
World Bank SH.STA.OWAD.ZS
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 95.5% to 100.0% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 916 to 3086 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 65653k to 118366k across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.POP.TOTL
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 9.4% to 6.1% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 557.75 kg to 928.39 kg across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 11.5% to 11.6% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 65.21 yrs to 71.81 yrs across 29 recorded years.
World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 5904 kg/ha to 7402 kg/ha across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.YLD.CREL.KG
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 399.86 kg/ha to 532.77 kg/ha across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.CON.FERT.ZS
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 57.3% to 57.1% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 2.33 $/m3 to 5.86 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 4.92% to 4.88% across 23 recorded years.
World Bank SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 515.1 km2 to 449.8 km2 across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.K2
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 707.66 kWh to 1493 kWh across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 21.03 to 24.26 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 10.49 to 16.82 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 25.42 to 110.44 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 97.61 to 267.29 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 7.48 to 31.77 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 26.61 to 44.24 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, water at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
Current path
Every line above is a recorded World Bank series for this country. The current path is simply those series continuing at the pace already measured.
Computed from: recorded series, no policy change assumed
Best case
The pledges are met on their own stated timetables and the weakest pillars are lifted to match the strongest. Egypt already shows it can do this: plant-based eating scores 5/5.
Computed from: each published target delivered on its own date
What the best case actually asks for
Lift water
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Egypt's record. Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line. Only about 78% of Egyptians use safely managed drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2023), and the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam upstream adds long-term supply risk. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift pollution
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Egypt's record. Air pollution is severe, with mean PM2.5 exposure of about 43 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank/IUCN, 2023), several times the WHO guideline, and Cairo's air measured at 10 to 100 times acceptable world standards. There is no comprehensive national single-use plastic ban, litter and plastic in the Nile and on the coasts are common, and open burning of waste adds to urban smog. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Egypt's record. Formal municipal recycling is low, with only a small share of total waste recycled nationally. The gap is filled by Cairo's Zabaleen, informal recyclers who collect roughly 9,000 of the city's 15,000 tonnes of daily household waste and recover up to about 85% of what they gather, one of the most efficient informal recycling systems anywhere. Coverage outside this network is patchy and much waste is dumped or burned. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Egypt.
Who is in charge of Egypt now · office-holders and institutions as published by the state itself; scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024
Mostafa Madbouly
Prime Minister
Mostafa Madbouly is the head of government of Egypt, in office since 7 June 2018. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government: 28.8 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Control of corruption: 31.1 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Political stability and absence of violence: 49.2 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Rule of law: 44 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Regulatory quality: 47 / 100. Below the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Mostafa MadboulyPrime Minister
Next election2029
Last election10-12 December 2023
Constitutioncurrent text dates from 2013
Government typepresidential republic
Egypt national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! behind
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Egypt currently protects 13.1% of its land, which is 44% of the way to the pledge. ↗
2030
30% of sea protected
✕ far behind
The marine half of the same 30x30 pledge. Egypt currently protects 5% of its territorial waters, which is 17% of the way there. ↗
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on record
Egypt has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. ↗
Plastic policy
no national ban
No national ban.
Grid, as it stands
11.7% renewable
Recorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. ↗
Plain Answers About Egypt.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
swipe →
Is Egypt sustainable?
Egypt scores 60 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Egypt is a near-total desert where almost the entire population, its farming and its freshwater depend on the Nile, pairing strong plant-based food and natural-fibre traditions with acute water scarcity and some of the world's worst urban air.
Is the water in Egypt safe and plentiful?
Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line. Only about 78% of Egyptians use safely managed drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2023), and the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam upstream adds long-term supply risk.
Can Egypt feed itself?
Food made up about 20.4% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), but Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer, with wheat imports forecast near 13.5 million tonnes and total cereal imports around 29 million tonnes (FAO GIEWS), and the World Food Programme notes it relies on global markets for more than half of its staples. At the same time the Nile Delta and Valley are intensively farmed, making Egypt a major exporter of citrus, onions, potatoes and other fruit and vegetables. It is therefore largely self-sufficient in fresh produce but heavily import-dependent for grains, oils and sugar.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Egypt?
Everyday Egyptian food is among the most plant-forward in the world. The national staples are ful medames (stewed fava beans), koshari (rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas in tomato sauce) and ta'meya (fava-bean falafel), all cheap, vegan by default and sold everywhere, alongside molokhia, lentils and flatbread. A visitor can eat well on plants without any effort.
How much of Egypt is actually protected?
Protected areas cover about 13.1% of Egypt's land (World Bank, 2023) and roughly 5.0% of its territorial waters, including genuine sites such as Ras Mohammed National Park, St Katherine and Wadi El Rayan. Coverage is reasonable but enforcement and funding are uneven and some reserves function largely on paper. Marine protection of the Red Sea reefs remains limited relative to the pressure from tourism.
What wildlife is left in Egypt?
Egypt's living wildlife is concentrated in the Red Sea, which holds more than 200 coral species along with dugongs, dolphins, turtles and whale sharks, and along the Red Sea and Sinai flyway used by millions of migrating raptors and storks. Endemism is low, with a short list that includes the Egyptian weasel and the tiny Sinai baton blue butterfly, and many large desert mammals such as gazelles and the cheetah are now rare or gone. The picture is modest overall, strong at sea and depleted on land.
Is Egypt on clean energy?
Egypt's electricity system is dominated by natural gas, with renewables supplying only around 12 per cent of generation in 2023, roughly 7 per cent hydropower from the Aswan High Dam and about 5 per cent wind and solar. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.55 tonnes per person in 2023, reflecting modest per-person consumption. Egypt hosted the COP27 climate summit in 2022 and targets 42 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 through projects such as the Benban solar park, yet it is at the same time expanding gas production and liquefied natural gas exports.
How polluted is Egypt?
Air pollution is severe, with mean PM2.5 exposure of about 43 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank/IUCN, 2023), several times the WHO guideline, and Cairo's air measured at 10 to 100 times acceptable world standards. There is no comprehensive national single-use plastic ban, litter and plastic in the Nile and on the coasts are common, and open burning of waste adds to urban smog.
Does recycling work in Egypt?
Formal municipal recycling is low, with only a small share of total waste recycled nationally. The gap is filled by Cairo's Zabaleen, informal recyclers who collect roughly 9,000 of the city's 15,000 tonnes of daily household waste and recover up to about 85% of what they gather, one of the most efficient informal recycling systems anywhere. Coverage outside this network is patchy and much waste is dumped or burned.
Is the farming in Egypt organic?
Certified organic farmland is about 3.0% of agricultural land, roughly 116,000 hectares (FiBL, 2020), which is modest and skewed towards export crops such as cotton and herbs. The domestic organic market is small. This sits right at the low edge of a meaningful organic sector.
Are there natural materials and craft in Egypt?
Egypt has one of the world's deepest living natural-materials traditions. It gives its name to extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense), and has made linen from flax since pharaonic times, paper from the Nile papyrus reed, palm-leaf baskets and Bedouin wool weaving. These crafts are still produced and traded today.
Is there living culture in Egypt?
Egypt has genuinely living cultures beyond its ancient monuments, including Nubian communities around Aswan, Bedouin of Sinai and the Western Desert, and the Amazigh (Siwan) of Siwa Oasis, and community and homestay tourism exists in these places. However the dominant tourism economy is extractive, built on large Red Sea resorts, Nile cruises and heavily commercialised heritage sites. The living and the extractive sit side by side.
What heritage does Egypt keep alive?
Egypt sustains rich living heritage across music, dance and ancestral spiritual traditions. Tahtib, the Saidi stick dance, is inscribed by UNESCO, while raqs sharqi and the Sufi Tanoura spinning dance remain widely performed. Folk music on the mizmar and tabla, the popular sha'abi style, and distinctive Nubian music and traditions stay very much alive.
So is Egypt actually green? The measured answer
What is working: the record is thin on the headline measures, and the sourced numbers below say why.
What is not: land protected at 13.1% against a 30% mark, sea protected at 5.1% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 12.2% against a 100% mark.
Egypt sits 64 of 77 at 60/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking →
What is Egypt particularly good at?
✓Heritage, scored 5/5. Egypt sustains rich living heritage across music, dance and ancestral spiritual traditions. Tahtib, the Saidi stick dance, is inscribed by UNESCO, while raqs sharqi and the Sufi Tanoura spinning dance remain widely performed. Folk music on the mizmar and tabla, the popular sha'abi style, and distinctive Nubian music and traditions stay very much alive. Sufi orders and their moulid gatherings continue as living ancestral and spiritual practice.
✓Plant-based eating, scored 5/5. Everyday Egyptian food is among the most plant-forward in the world. The national staples are ful medames (stewed fava beans), koshari (rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas in tomato sauce) and ta'meya (fava-bean falafel), all cheap, vegan by default and sold everywhere, alongside molokhia, lentils and flatbread. A visitor can eat well on plants without any effort.
✓Natural fibres, scored 4/5. Egypt has one of the world's deepest living natural-materials traditions. It gives its name to extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense), and has made linen from flax since pharaonic times, paper from the Nile papyrus reed, palm-leaf baskets and Bedouin wool weaving. These crafts are still produced and traded today.
Where does Egypt score worst?
✕Recycling, scored 2/5. Formal municipal recycling is low, with only a small share of total waste recycled nationally. The gap is filled by Cairo's Zabaleen, informal recyclers who collect roughly 9,000 of the city's 15,000 tonnes of daily household waste and recover up to about 85% of what they gather, one of the most efficient informal recycling systems anywhere. Coverage outside this network is patchy and much waste is dumped or burned.
✕Wildlife, scored 2/5. Egypt's living wildlife is concentrated in the Red Sea, which holds more than 200 coral species along with dugongs, dolphins, turtles and whale sharks, and along the Red Sea and Sinai flyway used by millions of migrating raptors and storks. Endemism is low, with a short list that includes the Egyptian weasel and the tiny Sinai baton blue butterfly, and many large desert mammals such as gazelles and the cheetah are now rare or gone. The picture is modest overall, strong at sea and depleted on land.
✕Water, scored 1/5. Egypt is one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth and depends almost entirely on a single external river, the Nile. Its renewable internal freshwater is just 8.9 cubic metres per person (World Bank, 2022), so nearly all supply arrives from upstream and per-person renewable water sits well below the 1,000 cubic metre scarcity line. Only about 78% of Egyptians use safely managed drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2023), and the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam upstream adds long-term supply risk.
Similar countries doing it better and worse
TanzaniaScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.75
EthiopiaScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.72
UgandaScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.70
South AfricaScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.62
BotswanaScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.58
SeychellesScored on the same twelve pillars as Egypt.57
A note from the lens of mother natureswipe →
Energy, 3/5
Egypt's electricity system is dominated by natural gas, with renewables supplying only around 12 per cent of generation in 2023, roughly 7 per cent hydropower from the Aswan High Dam and about 5 per cent wind and solar. Fossil CO2 emissions are low at about 2.55 tonnes per person in 2023, reflecting modest per-person consumption.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Egypt's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Food and farming, 3/5
Food made up about 20.4% of merchandise imports in 2024 (World Bank), but Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer, with wheat imports forecast near 13.5 million tonnes and total cereal imports around 29 million tonnes (FAO GIEWS), and the World Food Programme notes it relies on global markets for more than half of its staples. At the same time the Nile Delta and Valley are intensively farmed, making Egypt a major exporter of citrus, onions, potatoes and other fruit and vegetables.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Egypt's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Heritage, 5/5
Egypt sustains rich living heritage across music, dance and ancestral spiritual traditions. Tahtib, the Saidi stick dance, is inscribed by UNESCO, while raqs sharqi and the Sufi Tanoura spinning dance remain widely performed.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Egypt's record, so it is where the score moves first.
The Egypt Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Egypt, checked and listed.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Government effectiveness
49.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Rule of law
44 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Political stability
49.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Voice and accountability
28.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Environmental Performance Index
43.7 / 100 · 101 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 101 of 180 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
51.5 / 100 · 79 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 79 of 180 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
47.5 / 100 · 95 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 95 of 180 countries assessed.
Air pollution
73.3 / 100 · 89 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 89 of 180 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
42.7 / 100 · 111 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 111 of 180 countries assessed.
Marine protected areas
100.0 / 100 · 8 of 131
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 8 of 131 countries assessed.
How Egypt Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Conservation
Land and sea actually protected, not pledged
02
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost
03
Water
Fresh water per person, and the ocean’s health
04
Food & farming
Whether the place can feed itself
05
Organic & clean
Certified land and pesticide reality
06
Climate & energy
Emissions per person, how the grid is powered
07
Waste
Where the rubbish goes, what comes back
08
Health
What people eat and die of
09
Heritage
Living culture, and what the law keeps standing
10
Ownership
Who owns the economy, how much of a dollar stays
11
Governance
Freedom, honesty, promises kept
12
Future
Measured trends run forward, pledges against pace
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
One index, every destination. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
