Country profile · North Africa
Egypt
Egypt has 118.4 million people and the world's 12th-largest army, with 438,500 active troops. It runs the Suez Canal. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the general who led the army's removal of President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, has been president since June 2014. His third term, which ends in 2030, is his last under the constitution.
Where Egypt ranks
All rankings →Who runs Egypt?
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi runs Egypt, with the army behind him. He belongs to no party. Sisi was born on November 19, 1954 in Gamaleya, an old quarter of Cairo. He became an infantry officer in 1977 and married his cousin, Entissar Amer, the same year. In 2006, at the US Army War College, he wrote a paper titled "Democracy in the Middle East." On August 14, 2013, six weeks after the army removed President Morsi, security forces broke up a sit-in by Morsi's supporters at Rabaa al-Adawiya square in Cairo. Human Rights Watch counted at least 817 dead. Sisi won elections with 96.91% in 2014, 97.08% in 2018 and 89.6% in 2023.
- Nation's Future 231
- Homeland Defenders and National Front 161
- Other parties and independents 204
Portrait (2017): Amber I. Smith, US Department of Defense, CC BY 2.0
Who are Egypt's allies and rivals?
The United States gives Egypt $1.375 billion a year in military aid. Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Relations are strained over Gaza. Egypt helped broker the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire and refuses any move of Gazans into Egypt. Gulf states provide large investments, led by the UAE's $35 billion Ras El Hekma deal in February 2024. Ethiopia is Egypt's main rival. It inaugurated its dam on the Blue Nile on September 9, 2025. On September 20, 2026 Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said talks had reached a dead end. In Sudan's civil war Egypt backs the army against the Rapid Support Forces. UNHCR counts 851,427 Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt as of August 2026.
Allies and partners
United States$1.375 billion military aid in 2026
Saudi ArabiaSigned 2016 deal on Tiran and Sanafir islands
United Arab Emirates$35 billion Ras El Hekma deal, 2024
FranceTop arms supplier, 39% of imports 2021-25
ChinaLargest source of imports; Xi visited in 2026
EritreaRed Sea security pact, May 2026
Rivals and tensions
EthiopiaNile dam dispute, talks at a dead end
IsraelPeace treaty since 1979, strained over Gaza- Rapid Support Forces (Sudan)Fights the Sudanese army Egypt backs
- Houthis (Yemen)Red Sea attacks cut Suez Canal traffic
- Suez Canal 193 km long, opened in 1869. About 44 ships a day in August 2026, against 72 in 2023.
- Rafah crossing Egypt's crossing into Gaza. Israel has held the Gaza side since May 2024.
- Halayeb Triangle Run by Egypt, claimed by Sudan.
- Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Ethiopia's dam on the Blue Nile, inaugurated September 2025. Egypt calls it a threat to its water security.
- Bab el-Mandeb The Houthis seized Mokha and Perim island on September 10-11, 2026, controlling the strait.
- Egypt
- Partner
- Rival
Who does Egypt trade with?
Egypt exported $51.4 billion of goods in 2025. It imported $101.0 billion, about twice as much. Gold was the top export at $7.6 billion. The UAE became the largest buyer, taking $7.0 billion of Egyptian goods. Non-oil exports reached a record $48.6 billion. Egypt's gas output has fallen since 2021. It now imports liquefied natural gas, a record 9 million tonnes in 2025, about 91% from the United States. Egypt was the world's second-largest wheat importer in 2025/26, at 13.0 million tonnes. Russia supplied about two-thirds of its milling wheat in 2024/25. Since July 24, 2026 the United States has charged a 12.5% tariff on Egyptian goods.
Sells to
Share of Egypt's exports
- United Arab Emirates13.7%
Italy7.9%
Turkey6.4%- Saudi Arabia5.8%
- United States5.3%
Buys from
Share of Egypt's imports
- China18.6%
- United States12.6%
- Saudi Arabia9.4%
Russia5.1%
Germany4.3%
Goods trade, 2025. Shares of Egypt's exports and imports as Egypt reported them to UN Comtrade.
How strong is Egypt's military?
SIPRI puts Egypt's military spending at $2.5 billion in 2025. Egypt was the world's 12th-largest arms importer in 2021-2025. France supplied 39% of its arms imports, Germany 30% and Italy 18%. Egypt has ordered 54 French Rafale jets. It dropped a planned purchase of Russian Su-35 jets after US officials threatened sanctions. Since October 2023 the United States has approved $12.0 billion of arms sales to Egypt, including a $4.67 billion NASAMS air defense system. The military runs a business empire. Since 2013 it has managed about a quarter of government spending on infrastructure and housing. Egypt has no nuclear weapons. It ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1981.
Active troops in the Middle East and Africa, 2026
Full ranking →
Iran610,000- Ethiopia503,000
- Egypt438,500
- Turkey355,200
- Saudi Arabia257,000
- Israel169,500
Algeria139,000
IISS, The Military Balance, 2024 to 2026 editions
How much does Egypt earn from the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal earned $4.67 billion in the fiscal year to June 2026, up 23%. That is under half of the record $10.25 billion earned in 2023, when about 72 ships a day passed. Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping from November 2023 sent most traffic around Africa. Ships are returning. In August 2026 revenue was $567.1 million, up 56.7% from a year earlier, with about 44 ships a day. On September 10 and 11, 2026 the Houthis took control of Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the Red Sea's southern end. Egyptians working abroad sent home $41.5 billion in 2025, about ten times the canal's revenue. The canal opened in 1869, and President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized it in 1956.