On the international day for the eradication of poverty, Egypt announced that it aims to reduce poverty by half by 2020 and eliminate it by 2030 as part of its strategic development plan, according to the state-run Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).
According to the last report issued by CAPMAS, Egypt s poverty rate rose to 27.8 percent in 2015, compared to 25.2 percent in 2010/11.
The IMF-inspired austerity measures Egypt has adopted since 2016 have put a strain on many Egyptians living under the poverty line.
The poverty line stands at EGP 482 (about $54) per month, while the extreme poverty line stands at EGP 322 (about $36), according to the latest figures.
Under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the government has been implementing different programmes to strengthen social protection for the poor and most vulnerable groups.
Among these programmes are the 2015 Takaful and Karama, an income-support programme for families with children that benefits some two million families in 5,630 villages across the country.
There are also other programmes that address population growth, housing, healthcare and health insurance.
