There are >104 mn of us, according to the census: Egypt’s population is growing at a rate of approximately 2 mn people per year, The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed yesterday when it announced the results of its 2017 national census (paywall). According to the census, Egypt’s overall population has reached 104.2 mn, 94.8 mn of whom currently reside in Egypt, CAPMAS head Abu Bakr El Gendy said, according to an Ittihadiya statement. The report also indicates that there are approximately 18.4 mn Egyptians who are illiterate, 10.6 mn of whom are women, Al Borsa reports.

Gov’t zeroes in on underage marriages: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi expressed his concern about some of the statistics in the report, including the prevalence of underage marriage among Egyptian girls. The report had revealed that around 40% of married women were under the age of 18. As we noted in Last Night’s Talk Shows above, the state is planning to criminalize the act. El Sisi called for the establishment of a committee to study and analyze the census’ data. El Gendy had said earlier this month that the bureau may use the results of the census to create its own investment map.