Monday, 25 May 2026
Foreign workers in Egypt up 32% in 2024, led by Europeans and Asians
Egypt has seen a notable rise in the number of foreigners working in its private and investment sectors.
According to the 2024 Annual Bulletin for Foreigners Working in these sectors, published by Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, 22,900 work permits were issued to foreigners of various nationalities in 2024. This marks a significant 32% increase from 17,300 permits in 2023.
Of those who received work permits in 2024, 10,000 foreign workers were issued a permit for the first time, representing 43.7% of the total. The remaining 12,900, or 56.3%, were renewals of existing contracts.
Europeans made up the largest group by nationality, with 8,798 Europeans (38.4%) receiving permits. They were followed by non-Arab Asians, who accounted for 7,224 permits (31.5%). Arab nationals comprised the third-largest group with 4,826 permits (21.1%), while non-Arab Africans and Americans received 1,026 (4.5%) and 868 (3.8%) permits respectively this year.
When it comes to the bodies responsible for issuing permits, the Ministry of Manpower led with 11,190 permits (48.9%), followed by investment offices at 6,392 permits (27.9%). Permits were also issued by company offices (19.9%) and petroleum offices (3.3%).
Regarding professions, managers represent the largest share with 8,343 foreigners working in managerial positions (36.4%). They are followed by those in scientific professions (5,453 people or 23.8%), and technicians or specialist assistants (3,530 people or 15.4%).
Foreign workers in Egypt contribute most significantly to the fields of public administration, defense, and compulsory social security, employing 5,587 foreigners (24.4%). This is followed by electricity, gas, and steam supply (20.6%), construction (16%), and wholesale, retail trade, and repair activities (12.5%).