"Food, Demography Are Invisible Drivers in Egypt Uprising"

"PARIS -- Huge population growth and food insecurity count among the factors that fuelled the revolution in Egypt and serve as a caution for other countries facing human and environmental overload, say analysts.

Egypt -- and Tunisia, Algeria and Yemen to a lesser extent -- found itself in a perfect storm in which massive youth unemployment conjoined with hunger and resentment over poverty to threaten an authoritarian regime, they say.

In just 25 years, Egypt's population has risen by nearly two-thirds, from 50 million in 1985 to around 83 million today, with an average age of 24.

"The demographic change is very significant," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York."

Richard Ingham reports for AFP February 13, 2011.