Draft Budget Raises Social Protection Spending to EGP 742.6 Billion
Support, grants and social benefits are set to increase by 15% under Egypt's proposed 2026/2027 budget.
Egypt's draft 2026/2027 state budget allocates EGP 742.6 billion to support, grants and social benefits, marking a 15% increase from the EGP 645.5 billion allocated in the previous fiscal year.
According to the government's 2026/2027 Economic and Social Development Plan, the increase forms part of efforts to expand the country's social protection system and provide greater support to low- and middle-income households amid continued global economic pressures and domestic inflation.
The plan states that government priorities include maintaining food subsidies and expanding cash transfer programmes while balancing ongoing economic reforms with measures to protect vulnerable groups. The objective is to ease living costs by broadening the social safety net and improving targeted support.
The proposed allocations cover a range of programmes, including food subsidies, petroleum subsidies, Takaful and Karama cash transfers, social housing, state-funded medical treatment, health insurance, and contributions to pension funds. The budget also includes support for industrial and agricultural activities.
The development plan further outlines measures to increase the number of beneficiaries receiving direct cash assistance, improve the targeting of social programmes and upgrade service delivery systems to ensure support reaches eligible households more efficiently.
