A new study issued by the state-run Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics said the country’s total number of vehicles climbed to 5.85 million in 2010, versus 117,000 vehicles in 1961.
The agency attributes the figure to the nation’s ballooning population that is also much more affluent. Many also see more of a need for vehicles than in the past.
Most of the growth has come in the last 30 years or so.
In 1970, there were still only 196,000 vehicles here.
But in 1980, Egyptians began to see the value of vehicles, with the total rising 278 percent to 758,000 vehicles.
This was the highest increase in 50 years. The agency said the newfound desire to purchase vehicles was likely due to new economic freedoms following the 1973 war.
In 1990, the country’s total number of vehicles increased by 166 percent, compared with the 1980s, reaching 2.02 million vehicles, likely driven by practices involving the licensing of government vehicles.
The study added that number of vehicles was recorded at 3.12 million in 2000, up 54.4 percent compared with figures from 1990.
The most recent jump of more than 2 million vehicles between 2000 and 2010 is because of the liberalization of bank loans for private vehicles and taxis. The government also expanded its licensing to include buses and tuk tuks.
