Christianity in Egypt has a long history. Dating from the first century, there has been a continuous Christian presence there. In the first five centuries the church thrived. Then with the arrival of Islam in 640 AD came years of anti-Christian persecution. In that time Christians and Jews were relegated to 2nd class citizens, subject to many rules and restrictions. In spite of this, Christianity survived, and today there are about 10 million believers, some 10% of the population.

Despite continuing discrimination and hostility by the mainly Muslim society, largely in the more rural and conservative areas, the Christian population remains steady. Violence has lessened considerably in the 2020s, since the advent of president al-Sisi with his vision of an all inclusive Society. He backs this up by his verbal and practical support for the Christian community.

The extremist Muslim Brotherhood, founded in1928, has lost a lot of its influence in the last decade. This is most noticeable in the Upper Egypt areas and the urban centres of population. Also of great significance is the new 2016 Law for Building and Restoring Churches, repealing Laws from 1856 and 1934 which had made it very difficult to get churches registered, and for permission to repair those churches and their buildings, and near impossible to build new churches. This led to applications from some 3,730 church groups for repairs and registration. So far about three-quarters have been granted, and foundations for two new churches have been laid.

Christians who have converted from Islam still face severe persecution, often with violence, from their families and communities, especially in rural villages. They also face problems in employment. Many charities are now helping those without jobs to start up small self employed businesses which not only gives them income, but also more confidence and self esteem.
Life for Christians in Egypt is better than for a very long time, but there is still much room for improvement.