Egypt's poverty rate rose to 27.8% for the year 2015, compared to 25.2% in 2010-11, according to the state-run statistics agency, CAPMAS. The report noted "extreme poverty" reached 5.3%, which it attributes to a spike in prices of essential foodstuffs. The current poverty line stands at an average monthly income of EGP482 (about USD54), while the extreme poverty line stands at EGP322 (about USD36). About 56.8% of those living in Upper Egypt's rural areas cannot meet their basic needs, compared to 19.7% in the Nile Delta's rural areas. This applies to roughly a third of people in Upper Egypt's urban areas. Graphs provided by the agency also depicted an increase in the poverty rate in relation to family size, showing that while 6% of families with less than four members are poor, 44% of families with six to seven members fall below the poverty line. This number increases to 75% poverty for families with 10 members or more. (ahramonline)