Cairo is experiencing rapid urban expansion as its outskirts have now turned into urban developments to accommodate its large population.
Currently, Cairo houses over 20 million people. On the other hand, Greater Cairo is home for 25 percent of the country’s population.
By 2013, Cairo’s urban extensions were at least 230,000 acres.The annual increase rate was 8.5 percent on average since 2003.
The Atlas of Urban Expansion data reveals that the suburban extensions were over 42,000 acres. Suburban extensions were growing at a rate of 11.5 percent annually.
Despite the urban development in the capital, rural expansion continued to grow. In 2013, rural extensions were almost 3,000 acres, an increase of 10.2 percent from 2003. This is because Egypt’s rural population continues to grow alongside the urban population at a similar rate countrywide.
