Egypt's population has jumped by one million in just six months. This makes Egypt's population growth rate is twice as high as other developing nations and five times higher than developed countries.
The population reached 92 million on Thursday, up from 91 million in June, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
Egypt's government is already working to curb the population growth by promoting family planning initiatives and increasing access to birth control.
"We are making it clear that when you have one or two children that are healthy, educated, able to stand up high for themselves in the future and to have good family and strong families in the future, you're going to be proud of this," Dr. Maissa Shawky, deputy minister for health and population, told NPR.
Currently, Egypt's birth rate hovers at 3.5 children per women. Shawky's goal is to curb that number, bringing it down to 2.4 by 2030.
"The population growth limits the state’s ability to make tangible change in living standards, since the population growth is not proportionate to the current economic growth," CAPMAS said, >according to Egypt Independent.
Egypt has long been the most populous Arab nation, with a population more than twice as large as the second largest, Algeria.
Over the past decade, Egypt's population has jumped by some 20 million, Hassan Zaky, a demographer who consults with the National Population Council, told NPR in July.
"The current size of Egypt is the combined population of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Yemen," Zaky said, emphasizing that although Egypt's economy is growing, it's not fast enough to keep up with mouths to feed.
"Any increase of economic growth is swallowed by the fast increase of population size. So people do not feel any improvement."
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has faced difficulties addressing the many issues plaguing the countries struggling economy.
Recently, Sisi's government secured a >$12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. But to secure the loan, the government was forced to increase interest rates, cut petrol subsidies and >float Egypt's already devalued pound.