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PHOTO: Egyptian Kids, E. Zarwan, flickr. 

Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world. Movies sometimes comment humorously, or not so humorously, about the fact that Cairo has become so populated that some Egyptians have resorted to living in graveyards. Check out this thoughtful post on graveyards in Egypt.

A recent report from the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center indicates that at the current birth rate of about three kids per family, the population will reach 100 million by 2020.

Rural families in particular tend to have more kids. More kids in worse economic conditions is a trend that does not surprise economists and political scientists, even though it seems unintuitive. In worse economic times, keeping kids healthy, fed and alive is harder than in better economic times. More kids = higher chance that a few of them will survive. More kids can also help with work in rural families.

This is more than just a challenge of reducing the numbers. It’s also a challenge of changing cultural mentalities. Some women want an extra daughter to ensure someone will be there to care for them when they grow old. Some families keep trying until they have a boy who can carry on the family name.

It’s highly unlikely a law will be passed like in China, where one kid is the limit, but it will be interesting to see if Egyptians will heed these calls to rein in their population by having fewer kids.