Egypt
Egypt performs at the low level across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. It ranks among the bottom 25 per cent of countries globally in most factors of democratic performance. Over the past five years, Egypt has maintained relative stability, with no notable declines. Egypt’s economy, reliant on tourism, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and foreign aid, has been hit hard by the war in neighboring Gaza and Red Sea trade disruptions, which have reduced Suez Canal revenues.
Once home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, Egypt formed part of the Ottoman empire for over 350 years before being colonized by Britain in 1882. Despite granting Egypt formal independence in 1922, Britain retained significant control over the country until the 1952 revolution, when the Free Officers overthrew the British-aligned monarchy. Since then, the military has played a central role in the country’s governance. The 2011 Tahrir Square protests brought an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s rule after nearly three decades in power, resulting in Egypt's first democratic presidential election, which was won by Mohammed Morsi. However, Morsi’s presidency lasted only one year before he was removed in a 2013 military coup d’état led by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
Since 2013, Al-Sisi has established a highly authoritarian military state. There is no real opposition, as political parties are weakened and co-opted by state security, or created as extensions of regime-aligned militias. Egyptian politics have also been marked by a top-down war on independent civic organizations, whether nonprofits, media, or labor, particularly following the 2013 ouster of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood, once Egypt’s largest opposition group. Activists and journalists are frequently detained or forced into exile. As political space has shrunk, the powers of the military and the position of Al-Sisi have been entrenched, with 2019 constitutional amendments allowing the president to seek reelection until 2034.
Egypt’s population is 90 per cent Sunni Muslim and 10 per cent Christian (mainly Coptic). Conflict over the role of religion in the country dates back at least to the late 19th century Arab Enlightenment, when debates about modernizing Islam were intertwined with emerging Egyptian nationalism. While political life today is largely secularized through state control, the government under President Al-Sisi promotes what it calls “moderate” Islam as part of a broader nationalist narrative. At the same time, Islamist movements are harshly repressed, and major Sunni religious institutions have been co-opted by the state in order to shape religious narratives.
Egypt ranks in the bottom 25 per cent globally in Gender Equality, with disparities in the labour market and in wages and prevalence of gender-based violence. Recent progress however includes a 25 percent gender quota in parliament. LGBTQIA+ advocacy is crushed and subjected to harassment by regime-affiliated media. Ongoing economic hardship, including high poverty rates, fuel inequality and popular discontent. Egypt also hosts many refugees and asylum seekers, but has faced criticism over alleged rights abuses.
Looking ahead, it will be relevant to watch Rights, as recent proposals to reform the Criminal Procedure Code have raised concerns over their potential erosion of civil liberties. Amid a difficult economic environment, the Social Group Equality and Economic Equality subfactors will also track how well the regime holds to its end of the bargain and could show either a reduction in the pressure on the regime or an early warning that popular frustration will boil over.
Last Updated: June 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
December 2024
Al-Sisi ratifies first asylum law amid concerns over protection
On 16 December, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ratified Egypt's first asylum law, which transfers responsibility for asylum processing from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to a newly established government body, the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs. According to the government, the law is designed to bring Egypt's asylum procedures in line with international standards. However, rights groups have raised concerns, claiming that the law threatens the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. They point to vague exclusion criteria, the criminalization of irregular entry, and restrictions on refugees' political activities as particularly problematic. Additionally, vaguely defined emergency powers have sparked fears that they could be misused to arbitrarily deny asylum claims. Approximately 800,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UN Refugee Agency in Egypt.
Sources: Egyptian Official Gazette, Al-Shorouk, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch
June 2024
Sudanese refugees face mass arrests and deportations
Sudanese refugees fleeing the war in Sudan face worsening conditions in Egypt, including mass arrests and forced deportations. The rights group Amnesty International reported on 19 June that Sudanese nationals fleeing from the ongoing war in Sudan are systematically denied access to the asylum process in Egypt, being instead detained in military facilities near the border and forcibly returned to Sudan without the ability to contest their deportations. Approximately 800 Sudanese nationals were deported between January and March 2024 under such circumstances, placing Sudanese asylum seekers at a heightened risk of exploitation. Egypt introduced strict visa requirements for Sudanese nationals in 2023, following the outbreak of the war in Sudan. This visa policy has severely restricted access to asylum and is estimated to have impacted over 500,000 Sudanese individuals seeking refuge through land crossings into Egypt.
Sources: Reuters, Amnesty International, Egyptian State Information Service
December 2023
President Al-Sissi secures a third term in office amid landslide victory
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was re-elected for a third term in office, winning 89.6 per cent of the vote in presidential elections held between 10 and 12 December. According to Egypt's National Election Authority, the electoral process was marked by a record turnout of 66.8 per cent. There were no female candidates. International observers noted the smooth execution of the voting process and praised Egypt's efforts in conducting the election. Al-Sisi’s win solidifies his position as the country's leader for another six years, starting from April 2024, after already being in power for a decade. As per the Egyptian Constitution, it is anticipated that this will be his last term. However, the landslide victory raises questions about the state of democracy in the country, particularly considering the absence of robust opposition as Al-Sisi's authority remains unchallenged and the space for democratic discourse appears to be shrinking.
Sources: Egypt State Information Service (1), Al Jazeera, Egypt Today, Egypt State Information Service (2), African Union, Africa News, Amnesty International, International IDEA
October 2023
Controversy Surrounds Al-Sisi's Bid for Third Presidential Term
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced on 2 October 2 his intention to run for a third term in the upcoming presidential elections in December. However, his candidacy has not been met without controversy. Ahmed Tantawi, a prominent opposition figure and presidential candidate, announced on 13 October 13 his withdrawal from the race due to alleged harassment and intimidation by authorities. Tantawi stated he failed to secure the 25,000 individual endorsements required to participate in the election, citing a series of obstacles imposed by the authorities, including intimidation tactics, arrests, and even phone hacking. Following Tantawi's exit, only four candidates remain in the presidential race, including President Al-Sisi. These incidents have sparked concerns over the transparency and fairness of Egypt's electoral process. Critics suggest that the current regime may be leveraging its power to stifle opposition and restrict competition, casting doubts on Egypt's adherence to democratic norms.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Al Monitor, National News, The New Arab, France 24
See all event reports for this country
Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
State party
Signatory
No action
Performance by category over the last 6 months
Representation
Rights
Rule of law
Participation
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time
