EVAR Assessment Provides Insights on Multi-Dimensional Vulnerabilities, Needs, and Capacities of Refugees in Egypt

In December 2024, UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and WFP (World Food Programme), in collaboration with Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) and the UNHCR-WFP Joint Hub, completed the 2025 Egypt Vulnerability Assessment for Refugees (EVAR). The assessment provides updated insights into the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities, needs, and capacities of refugees in Egypt. The total sample size included 3,349 households, collected between September and December 2024 representing all nationalities in Egypt in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, and other governorates such as Damietta, Al-Sharqia, and Al-Bahira. The results of this joint UNHCR–WFP household survey will inform targeting, assistance, and longer-term inclusion planning.

Key findings include:

Since the escalation of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, around 700,000 Sudanese refugees have been registered by UNHCR in Egypt - over a tenfold increase compared with pre-crisis levels.

Essential Needs and Food Security

• 65% of households are highly or extremely vulnerable and are unable to meet their basic needs
• 58% of households are food insecure, and 38% have a child under 5 needing urgent nutrition support

Economic Vulnerability and Gender Dynamics

• Over 50% of households' economic capacity was determined to be under the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB - approx EGP 3,868/month)
• The most vulnerable include female-headed households with lack of formal education, more children, and members with disabilities or chronic illnesses

Access to Services

• 76% rent their homes, yet 61% face a risk of eviction
• 48% of school-aged children are out of school – mainly due to high education costs (71%) 
• 29% cannot access health services; of them, 94% identify costs as the barrier 

Self-Reliance

• 37% of households resort to casual work and 31% to informal jobs
• 43% of debts cover rent, followed by food expenses (31%) and health expenses (16%)
• Employment remains highly precarious and temporary

For more information, please refer to the full reports in English and Arabic and contact: UNHCR in Egypt: [email protected]; [email protected]; WFP in Egypt: [email protected]; [email protected]