Egypt’s population rose from 72 million in 2006 to 100 million in 2020. This growth is primarily due to an increasing birth rate, from an average of 3.0 births per woman in 2008 to 3.5 in 2013. If this trend continues, Egypt’s population is expected to reach 128 million by 2030. The government of Egypt is acutely aware of the economic and social impact of a rapidly increasing population.
The USAID-funded Strengthening Egypt’s Family Planning Program Activity (SEFPP), managed by JSI, works with the Egyptian government, through the Ministry of Health and Population/Family Planning Sector and National Population Council, to decelerate Egypt’s rapid population growth by reducing the unmet need of women and men for family planning counselling services and methods through evidence-based planning, decision making, and policy formulation. SEFPP is prioritizing its support in the nine governorates of Upper Egypt and 11 slum areas in Cairo and Alexandria, where the need for increased access to family planning is greatest. In rural Upper Egypt, only 45 percent of women are using any modern method and 53 percent are not using any method at all (compared with 41 percent nationally). While data on informal urban settlements in Cairo and Alexandria are limited, access to family planning counselling and methods are inadequate.
SEFPP aims to enhance Egypt's family planning services through support to the Ministry of Health and Population by focusing on expanding access to family planning health services, enhancing health behaviors and utilization of family planning services, and strengthening data use for learning, decision-making, and planning.
SEFPP is also committed to gender equity, which is central to the success of family planning, as well as to partnering with the private sector to ensure quality services are available and accessible. SEFPP advocates for voluntary access to family planning services for all segments of society, with a focus on the most vulnerable, and provides people with information to make the right decisions for themselves and their families.