The phrase "an almost equal number" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when comparing quantities that are similar but not exactly the same.
Example: "In the survey, there were an almost equal number of respondents from both age groups."
Alternatives: "a nearly equal number" or "a roughly equal number".
An intermediate phase was observed at 1.4 Gy, where an almost equal number of suppressed and induced transcripts were detected.
*Although Korean preparations are often spicy, there are an almost equal number of mild dishes here.
This force is matched by an almost equal number of Federal law-enforcement agents.
Despite these being the men's shows, her collection featured an almost equal number of male and female models.
It is policed by about 3,000 Iraqi security force members and an almost equal number of Awakening Council fighters.
I remember that at the games I attended in the early 1990's, there was an almost equal number of boos and cheers at their introduction.
Four different editions of the book have hit our bestseller list, shifting an almost equal number of copies each," said Waterstones buyer Joseph Knobbs.
It said there had been an almost equal number of price cuts to price decreases across all the Unilever products Morrisons stocks.
It is practiced in only 17 states, while an almost equal number of states require voters to register almost a month before they'll cast their vote.
Among retailers "there seem to be two contradictory philosophies that have an almost equal number of adherents," said Paul Gillette, publisher of The Wine Investor, an industry newsletter.
Israel has taken down 11 of the settlement outposts in the past two weeks, though an almost equal number of new ones have gone up, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlements.
