By Egypt Business Directory

While Assiut is the poorest governorate in Egypt with a poverty rate of 60%, 26.3% of the country’s population lies beneath the poverty line in 2012/2013 – compared to 25.2% in 2010/2011.

However, extreme poverty had dropped from 4.8% to 4.4%, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). An extremely poor person is defined as someone who consumes about $1.25 a day, but after considering the purchasing power parity (PPP), it amounts to less than EGP 3.75 per day.

Egypt’s government is currently trying to set a minimum wage of EGP 1,200 for the public sector as demands for social justice have been voiced for almost three years now. However, a family needs a minimum income of EGP 1,620 to fulfill its basic needs.

Head of CAPMAS Abo Bakr El-Gendy announced in a press conference that there is a direct correlation between the poverty rate and number of members in a household. 7% of four-headed households are considered poor, while 38% of household with six to seven members fall under the poverty line.

He added that 37% of Egypt’s illiterate and 12% of university graduates are poor, and that 85% of people with permanent employment are considered non-poor.