The study examines the relationship between Egypt’s “demographic gift” and its human capital. Egypt’s low living standards, states the author, are the outcome of an absence of investment in its people, and the failure to take advantage of the current demographic gift. This is evident in the set of indicators presented by the author spotlighting the wastage of human capital, which in turn creates challenges for development, and for improvement in the quality of life of Egyptians. The author adopts a comparative analytical methodology, drawing on a wide range of domestic and international secondary data. The results suggest that human capital is still far from being optimally tapped, as evidenced by the high incidence and varied dimensions of poverty and deprivation; low levels of education and mismatches between the education sector and the labor market; limited skills of youth workers; high rates of unemployment and the gender gap; and skyrocketing demand for foreign immigration. The study shows that true development depends on investing in young people through education and social justice, with the removal of all of the obstacles associated with the persistence of the gender gap.