88% of Egypt’s 91 Million People Own Mobile Phones

According to Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics' (CAPMAS), 88.1 per cent of families own mobile phones in the country, their 2015 Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption report says. The survey, conducted in 2015, is based on a sample made of 25,000 families across different governorates throughout the country. According to Al Ahram, the document released last Tuesday also indicates that an average of 22.1 per cent of Egyptian families own smartphones.

Egypt, a country of 91 million people with a staggeringly high illiteracy and poverty rates boasts considerably high mobile penetration. CAPMAS, on the same day, released data indicating that 27.8 per cent of the Egyptian population is currently living below the poverty line – considered at an income of LE482 monthly. In urban areas, the survey estimates that an average 86.4 per cent of families own mobile phones, whereas a higher percentage - 89.6 per cent - does in rural areas.

The report also found that 27.4 per cent of families are subscribed to landline telephone service, and 32.2 per cent of families own computers; however, only 18.8 per cent have access to the internet.