The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) showed that 1.32 million work permits were issued to Egyptian expatriates in 2014 alone against 1.30 million in 2013.

As for those who were granted the work permits for the first time, the agency said their number decreased from 631,000 in 2013 to 617, 000 2014.

Some 699,000 work permits were renewed in 2014 against 665,000 in 2013, it added.

Saudi Arabia took the lion's share in terms of the number of work permits issued by Egyptians to the oil-rich country, the agency said.

As for European countries, Italy topped the list with 23,000 work permits issued to it in 2014.