ment of an export market for natural gas is a bright spot for future growth prospects, but improvement in the capital-intensive hydrocarbons sector does little to reduce Egypt's persistent unemployment.
Egypt has a population of more than 76 million. The illiteracy rate among the population is disturbingly high at about 49 percent. GDP per capita is about $4000 and the percent of the population living below the poverty line is about 17 percent. Secondary school education is only 68 percent. Egypt suffers from a general lack of technological expertise that, among other things, limits the amount of high technology manufacturers and high-tech exports. Consequently, only 7 percent of Egyptian exports were considered high-tech.
The Gross Domestic Product was estimated at $295 million in 2003. The poorest 10 percent of the population earn about 3.7 percent of household income; the top ten percent of the population earns about 30 percent of household income. The unemployment rate is about 10 percent. Gross domestic product per capita was $3,940 is 2003, up only slightly from the 1998 GDP per capita of $3,130. With purchase price parity this low, Egyptians find it difficult to meet basic needs.
About 32 percent of the population is employed in agriculture, 17 percent in industry, and services account for over 51 percent of employment. Industries include textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, and metals. In 2003, Egypt derived about 16 percent of its GDP from agriculture, 34 percent from industr
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