The need for small, efficient, low-lift pumping devices is being recognized worldwide. Many developing countries need such pumps to lift irrigation surface water 0.5 to 3 meters. This paper analyzes the technical and economic characteristics of low-lift pumps. Water wheels and both portable and fixed axial flow pumps were considered, and animal, electric, and fossil fuel drivers investigated. The analysis was performed specifically for pumping conditions in Egypt, where discharges of 14 to 100 liters/sec are required at static lifts ranging from 0.5 to 3 meters. Both the economic costs of pumping based on international market prices and the on-farm pumping costs in Egypt were determined. A computer model was developed to aid in pump selection and to perform the economic calculations. A 6-inch axial flow pump developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was found to be the most efficient low-lift pump (efficiencies as high as 70% have been reported) at heads of 0.5 to 3 meters. Data from field tests indicate that discharges range from 46 liters/sec at a static lift of 1 meter to 27 liters/sec at a static lift of 2.8 meters. The 6-inch IRRI pump driven by a 3-horsepower electric motor provided the lowest pumping costs. Where electricity is unavailable, the animal-powered water wheel resulted in the least expensive pumping costs. However, if the opportunity time of the farmer's labor is included and the opportunity cost is greater than three cents an hour, the cost of pumping with a diesel powered IRRI pump was less than with the water wheel. A 4-page bibliography is appended, along with computer programs, sample output, cost data, and a computer model users' manual. (Author abstract, modified).