Egypt’s population hit a staggering 105 million people, growing by 1 million in just eight months, the country’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics revealed on Saturday.

The country is the most populous in the Middle East and the third most populous in Africa, according to the World Bank.

The latest update puts further strain on Egypt’s already-ailing economy, which has seen official annual inflation rates soar to over 30 percent since last year and living standards dwindle drastically.

Official data classified about 30 percent of the population as poor before the COVID-19 outbreak – a number that is suspected to have risen since then.

As many as 60 percent of Egyptians are estimated to be below or close to the poverty line, according to the country’s official data.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi blames the rapid population growth for the country’s economic crisis.

In February 2022, he launched the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family to curb overpopulation and tackle the health, education, social, cultural, and economic repercussions of population growth.