缩小埃及的社会保护差距：将社会保险扩大到非正规工人

VISIONESCWA, an innovative catalyst for a stable, just and flourishing Arab region MISSIONCommitted to the 2030 Agenda, ESCWA’s passionate team produces innovative knowledge, fosters regional consensus and delivers transformational policy advice.Together, we work for a sustainable future for all. Closing the social protection gap in Egypt:extending social insurance to informal © 2026 United NationsAll rights reserved worldwide Photocopies and reproductions of excerpts are allowed with proper credits. All queries on rights and licences, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the UnitedNations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status Links contained in this publication are provided for the convenience of the reader and are correct atthe time of issue. The United Nations takes no responsibility for the continued accuracy of that References have, wherever possible, been verified. Mention of commercial names and products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. References to dollars ($) are to United States dollars, unless otherwise stated. Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. United Nations publication issued by ESCWA, United Nations House, Riad El Solh Square,P.O. Box: 11–8575, Beirut, Lebanon. Website:www.unescwa.org. 2500877E Key messages •Informal workers constitute above 67 per cent of the Egyptian workforce but remainlargely unprotected, despite recent legal reforms.•Social insurance coverage rates have declined overall, with persistent gender andsectoral disparities, especially among young and seasonal workers.•Database fragmentation, complex procedures and irregular incomes further hinderparticipation and erode trust.•Emerging new measures, such as flexible contribution models, improved datainteroperability and sector-specific pilots, provide promising pathways to close thecoverage gap.•To close the gap, Egypt needs simplified enrolment, flexible contribution options,stronger coordination, and clear incentives for formalization. Key messagesiii Introduction 1.The reality of informal employment in Egypt 2.Legal framework: inclusive in theory, exclusive in practice?7 3.Coverage remains low: gaps in practice9 4.Barriers and pathways to inclusive social insurance 5.From strategy to practice: emerging initiatives for inclusive social insuranceA.Construction workers pilot: testing solutions B.Interoperability of databases and automatic enrolment in social insurance Conclusions List of tables Table 1.Social insurance scope of coverage by employment type and functionTable 2.Coverage under NOSI List of figures Figure 1.Labour force participation rate by sex and age, 2025 estimatesFigure 2.Informal workers by sex and age groupFigure 3.Percentage of informal employment by sector and genderFigure 4.Effective coverage SDG 1.3.1 by function in selected countries, 2023 or latest available dataFigure 5.Coverage of social and health insurance disaggregated by sexFigure 6.Coverage of private sector workers outside establishments in EgyptFigure 7.Construction workers pilot Introduction In recent years, the Egyptian social protectionsystem has undergone noteworthy reforms,laying the foundations for more inclusivecoverage. Key milestones include the SocialInsurance and Pensions Law No. 148 (2019) andthe Universal Health Insurance Law No. 2 (2018),complemented by the gradual scale-up of social Over 67 per cent1of Egyptian workers are in informal2employment, earning theirlivelihoods without stable contracts,predictable incomes or access to socialinsurance. While recent reforms have createda legal framework for potential universalprotection, coverage rates are not increasing. 1.The reality of informal employment in Egypt In Egypt, social insurance schemes remaingeared towards public sector employees andcertain formal private sector workers, leavingmany without adequate protection. This 2–3 per cent. Among employers, 81.1 per centoperate in the private sector, with 44.2 Young workers are particularly at risk, oftenbeginning their careers in informal jobs andlacking access to essential social insurance.Across both genders, the incidence of informal Most employed persons are paid employees,accounting for nearly 73 per cent of theworkforce. Self-employed workers make up The gender gap largely reflects women’sconcentration in regulated sectors such aseducation, health, social services and public majority in critical sectors, including agriculture(approximately 97 per cent of employment), Informality in Egypt is highest among part-time(80 per cent) and seasonal workers (95 per centof men and 99 per cent of