Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently urged the Egyptian government to address significant deficiencies in its education and healthcare systems. According to HRW, the lack of adequate funding has “severely undermined” these basic rights. The organization pressed Egypt to “guarantee free primary education” and ensure that “high-quality health care is universally accessible.” The concerns were echoed in an analysis showing worrying disparities in government spending, compared to constitutional and international benchmarks.
In the latest fiscal year, Egypt’s parliament allocated an education budget of approximately 315 billion Egyptian pounds, representing merely 1.5 percent of the GDP. This allocation falls significantly short of the constitutional mandate, which requires at least 6 percent of GDP to be spent on education. Moreover, international standards typically recommend education spending to constitute 4 to 6 percent of a nation’s GDP. Similar budgetary shortcomings affect the healthcare sector, with only 1.2 percent of GDP allocated, again below the constitutional obligation of 3 percent. These figures emphasize the critical gap between governmental promises and actual investment reported HRW.
Educational services across Egypt are strained, with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights identifying a shortage of 250,000 classrooms and 655,000 teachers earlier this year. These shortages result in many public schools charging fees for primary education and students lacking basic necessities like chairs and desks. Such educational deficits raise profound concerns about the future development and competitiveness of the nation’s workforce.
Healthcare accessibility is similarly compromised. The World Health Organization (WHO) underscores this issue by highlighting Egypt’s ratio of doctors—6.7 per 10,000 people—as substantially below the recommended 10. A study from the American University of Cairo (AUC) linked this deficit to inadequate working conditions and insufficient medical resources. Consequently, doctors frequently bear the cost of essential health supplies themselves. The WHO noted that approximately 57.2 percent of healthcare expenses were paid out of pocket by Egyptians in 2023, further complicating access for many (World Health Organization).
Response from the Egyptian government has been minimal following these critiques. Amr Magdi, a senior researcher at HRW, criticized the government for its “deep indifference towards its citizens’ rights.” Contrarily, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated in late 2025 that health and education were national priorities, emphasizing the role of private health services to complement state facilities.
It is crucial for Egypt to rectify these disparities, as the rights to education and healthcare are anchored in international law. While HRW communicated its concerns to Egypt’s ministers of Education and Health, as of now, no official response has been provided.