Egypt's net international reserves (NIR) inched down to $15.33 billion at the end of December from $15.88 billion a month prior, the country's central bank announced on Tuesday.

Reserves fell sharply after the 2011 uprising that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, but were lifted in 2013 when Gulf Arab states gave billions of dollars in aid to Egypt after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

However, this fiscal year, Egypt returned a $2.5 billion deposit to Qatar and only received $1 billion in grant-based aid from Kuwait in November.

Egypt relies on the Suez Canal and tourism as its main sources of foreign currency. Two areas strained by the political instability that followed the 2011 uprising.

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