Irreligion in Egypt is controversial due to the prominence of conservative social traditions and the persecution by the religious institutions in the country.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] It is difficult to quantify the number of atheists or agnostics in Egypt, as the stigma attached to being one makes it hard for irreligious Egyptians to publicly profess their views and beliefs.
[25] Egyptian media has since 2011 reported increases in the number of nonbelievers and atheists publicly coming out;[26] however, atheism or skepticism is not a recent phenomenon in Egypt.
[26] Despite the lack of clarity with regard to absolute numbers, there is a noticeable increase in young Egyptians coming out for nonbelieving and publicly testifying they have left the faith, especially on the internet.
[35] In July 2015, it was announced by Pope Tawadros II that a global survey to understand why some youth leave the church would be carried out.
[38] Atheists or irreligious people cannot change their official religious status, thus statistically they are counted as followers of the religion of their family, whether it is Islam or Christianity.