Hiding Poverty!

Hiding poverty does not help combat it, nor does it contribute to reducing it. On the contrary, it may lead society to become accustomed to its existence, especially when we stop paying attention to its growth and lose interest in controlling and reducing it.

I say this because, in my view, the government has been pursuing a policy of concealing poverty data for the past four years.

Since 2022, the government has refrained from publishing the results of the Household Income, Expenditure, and Consumption Survey, which the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) had regularly conducted and released every two years since 2008.

These years have witnessed yet another flotation of the Egyptian pound, resulting in a substantial depreciation of its value against foreign currencies—exceeding one-third in some periods. This inevitably fueled inflation and exposed the country to a severe wave of rising prices and mounting living costs.

One direct consequence of these developments has been an increase in both the number and proportion of people living below the poverty line, as well as those living in extreme poverty—individuals who, according to CAPMAS's own definition, struggle to secure their most basic food requirements.

The latest official poverty statistics date back to fiscal year 2021/2022. According to CAPMAS figures, 29.6 percent of the population was living below the poverty line at that time. This was already a significant proportion. However, it is highly likely that the figure has increased over the past four years, during which the country has been subjected to intense economic pressures.

This, in my opinion, explains the decision to suspend the publication of poverty data and poverty-rate statistics during the last four years.

Some may argue that the government is simply trying to spare citizens from discouraging news and avoid causing public concern over rising poverty levels. Yet such an approach runs counter to the principles of transparency that any government should uphold in its relationship with citizens.

More importantly, concealing poverty statistics undermines public awareness and weakens society’s collective commitment to addressing one of its most pressing social and economic challenges. Poverty cannot be effectively fought if it is hidden from view. The first step toward solving any problem is acknowledging its existence and measuring its true scale.

Originally published on: VETO GATE