Egypt
Drink with caution. Safe in some areas, risky in others — closer to a coin-flip. Filter it, or reach for bottled when you are unsure.
Can you…
Source → Tap
Mixed network · aging mains in placesIs tap water safe in Egypt?
Egypt scores 50/100 on our water-safety index — drink with caution. Safe in some areas, risky in others — closer to a coin-flip. Filter it, or reach for bottled when you are unsure. Scores above 70 mean tap water is generally safe to drink. 40–69 means treat it with caution — filtering or bottled water is wise. Below 40 means it’s best avoided straight from the tap.
Drinking, brushing, ice & cooking
- Drinkable?
- No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.
- Brush teeth?
- Usually fine for brushing if you don’t swallow, though the cautious use filtered or bottled water.
- Ice?
- Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.
- Cooking?
- Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.
Water treatment & pipe infrastructure
Egypt relies on standard filtration + chlorination, delivered through a mixed network — aging mains in places. That puts the practical contamination risk between source and tap at medium. Even where water leaves the plant clean, aging mains and rooftop storage are where quality most often slips.
Tap water safety by city in Egypt
Water quality is rarely uniform. In Egypt, notable variation includes Cairo at 42/100.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink tap water in Egypt?+
Egypt scores 50/100 on our water-safety index — drink with caution. No — don’t drink it unfiltered. Boil, filter, or buy bottled.
Is it safe to brush your teeth with tap water in Egypt?+
Usually fine for brushing if you don’t swallow, though the cautious use filtered or bottled water.
Is ice safe to use in drinks in Egypt?+
Ice is a gamble — fine in reputable hotels and restaurants, riskier from street vendors.
Is tap water in Egypt safe for cooking?+
Yes — cooking and rinsing produce with tap water is safe.
Data & sources
Official monitoring (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) puts safely-managed drinking water access in Egypt at 78.9%. Access to a safe source isn’t the same as tap-drinkability for visitors — our 50/100 score weights traveler drinkability, informed by this data.
- WHO/UNICEF JMP — 78.9% safely managed (2024)
- World Bank · safely managed drinking water (SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS)
- CDC · food & water safety for travelers
Read the full methodology — how the 0–100 score is built and what it does (and doesn’t) mean.