Demographic features of the population of Morocco include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The population of Morocco in 2021 is 37.271 million.[2]
Foreign residents in Morocco by country of birth, in 1994
Moroccans are primarily of Arab and Berber origin.[3][4][1] Socially, there are two contrasting groups of Moroccans: those living in the cities and those in the rural areas. Among the rural, several classes have formed such as landowners, peasants, and tenant farmers. Moroccans live mainly in the north and west portions of Morocco. However, they prefer living in the more fertile regions near the Mediterranean Sea.
Between the Nile and the Red Sea were living Arab tribes expelled from Arabia for their turbulence, Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, who often plundered farming areas in the Nile Valley.[5] According to Ibn Khaldun, whole tribes set off with women, children, ancestors, animals and camping equipment.[5] These tribes, along with others, who mass arrived in the region of Morocco in colossal numbers around the 12th-13th centuries,[6] and later the Ma'qil in the 14th century, contributed to a more extensive ethnic, cultural, and linguistic Arabization of Morocco over time, especially beyond the major urban centres and the northern regions well into the countryside.[7][6] The descendants of the original Arab settlers who continue to speak Arabic as a first language currently form the single largest population group in North Africa.[8]
About 99% of Moroccans are considered to be Sunni Muslims religiously or culturally. The numbers of the Jewish minority has decreased significantly since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Today there are 2,500 Moroccan Jews inside the country.[9] Thousands of Moroccan Jews living in Europe, Israel and North America visit the country regularly. There is a small but apparently growing minority of Moroccan Christians made of local Moroccan converts (not Europeans). In 2014, most of the 86,206 foreign residents are French people, Spaniards, Algerians and sub-Saharan African students.
Population
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Structure of the population (Census 2004):[17][18]
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
14 640 662
15 039 407
29 680 069
100
Total(known)
14 045 137
14 783 487
28 828 624
97.13
0–4
1 488 631
1 435 833
2 924 464
9.85
5–9
1 552 440
1 502 718
3 055 158
10.29
10–14
1 666 632
1 614 368
3 281 000
11.05
15–19
1 564 900
1 583 690
3 148 590
10.61
20–24
1.426.174
1 521 526
2 947 700
9.93
25–29
1 190 111
1 292 162
2 482 273
8.36
30–34
1 054 069
1 149 302
2 203 371
7.42
35–39
897 812
993 739
1 891 551
6.37
40–44
892 083
968 391
1 860 474
6.27
45–49
758 044
731 635
1 489 679
5.02
50–54
627 433
599 755
1 227 188
4.13
55–59
370 969
388 594
759 563
2.56
60–64
340 722
400 169
740 891
2.50
65–69
261 046
274 018
535 064
1.80
70–74
236 107
267 260
503 367
1.70
75+
58 933
60 327
119 260
0.40
unknown
595 525
255 920
851 445
2.87
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
4 707 703
4 552 919
9 260 622
31.20
15–64
8 781 348
9 628 963
18 410 311
62.03
65+
556 086
601 605
1 157 691
3.90
According to 2004 census
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
~9 260 182
31.2
15–59
~18 164 202
61.2
60+
~2 404 086
8.1
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2013) (Based on the results of the 2004 Population Census.) :
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total
16 371 475
16 578 971
32 950 445
100
0–4
1 482 899
1 421 020
2 903 919
8.81
5–9
1 453 315
1 391 847
2 845 161
8.63
10–14
1 473 231
1 420 973
2 894 204
8.78
15–19
1 547 292
1 496 243
3 043 535
9.24
20–24
1 614 483
1 564 368
3 178 851
9.65
25–29
1 477 952
1 494 267
2 972 219
9.02
30–34
1 338 558
1 409 129
2 747 687
8.34
35–39
1 106 764
1 199 802
2 306 566
7.00
40–44
975 428
1 070 441
2 045 869
6.21
45–49
862 688
947 158
1 809 846
5.49
50–54
859 927
902 421
1 762 347
5.35
55–59
704 367
670 923
1 375 290
4.17
60–64
543 733
529 913
1 073 646
3.26
65–69
314 577
348 098
662 674
2.01
70–74
276 251
333 385
609 636
1.85
75+
340 012
378 983
718 996
2.18
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
4 409 445
4 233 840
8 643 285
26.23
15–64
11 031 190
11 284 665
22 315 855
67.73
65+
930 840
1 060 466
1 991 306
6.04
Structure of the population (Census 2014) :
Age Group
Male
Female
Total
%
Total (known)
16 330 731
16 416 140
32 746 871
100
0–4
1 700 796
1 623 119
3 323 915
9.82
5–9
1 524 586
1 460 840
2 985 426
8.82
10–14
1 532 755
1 475 241
3 007 996
8.89
15–19
1 490 344
1 468 114
2 958 458
8.74
20–24
1 495 404
1 520 770
3 016 174
8.91
25–29
1 369 558
1 411 583
2 781 141
8.22
30–34
1 289 375
1 338 721
2 628 096
7.76
35–39
1 137 269
1 198 986
2 336 255
6.90
40–44
1 058 073
1 102 280
2 160 353
6.38
45–49
879 096
926 400
1 805 496
5.33
50–54
877 383
925 006
1 802 389
5.32
55–59
715 207
669 610
1 384 817
4.09
60–64
594 071
566 539
1 160 610
3.43
65–69
316 816
321 867
638 683
1.89
70–74
268 617
316 576
585 193
1.73
75–79
81 381
90 488
171 869
0.51
unknown
1 101 371
3.25
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
4 758 137
4 559 200
9 317 337
27.53
15–64
10 905 780
11 128 009
22 033 789
65.10
65+
666 814
728 931
1 395 745
4.12
According to 2014 census
Age group
Male
Female
Total
Percent
0–14
~9 477 508
28.0%
15–59
~21 121 303
62.4%
60+
~3 249 431
9.6%
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Projections based on the results of national survey on population and health conducted between 2010 and 2011, and especially population and housing census 2014.):[19]
The Arab population of Morocco is a result of the inflow of nomadic Arab tribes from the Arabian Peninsula since the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th century with a major wave in the 11th century.[20][21] The major migration to the region by Arab tribes was in the 11th century when the tribes of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, along with others, were sent by the Fatimids to defeat a Berber rebellion and then settle in the Maghreb.[22] Between the Nile and the Red Sea were Arab tribes expelled from Arabia for their turbulence, Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, who often plundered farming areas in the Nile Valley.[5] According to Ibn Khaldun, whole tribes set off with women, children, ancestors, animals and camping equipment.[5] These tribes, who arrived in the region of Morocco around the 12th-13th centuries, and later the Ma'qil in the 14th century, contributed to a more extensive ethnic, genetic, cultural, and linguistic Arabization of Morocco over time,[23] especially beyond the major urban centres and the northern regions which were the main sites of Arabization up to that point.[7]
The Berber population mainly lives in the mountainous regions of Morocco where some preserve Berber culture, and are split into three groups; Rifians, Shilha, and Zayanes.[1] The Rifians inhabit the Rif mountains, the Shilha inhabit the Anti-Atlas mountains, and the Zayanes inhabit the Middle Atlas mountains.[1] The Arabized Berbers who constitute about a quarter of the population are the Berbers who were Arabized mainly as a result of the Arab nomad inflow, and have adopted Arab culture and the Arabic language as their native language, especially those who sought the protection of the Bedouin.[23] Some parts of the population are descendants of refugees who fled Spain after the Reconquista in the 15th century. The Trans-Saharan slave trade brought a population of Sub-Saharan Africans to Morocco. After the founding of Israel and start of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, many Jews felt compelled to leave Morocco especially after the anti-Jewish riots in Oujda, and many fled to Israel, Europe, and North America, and by 1967 250,000 Jews left Morocco.[1] In a 2021 survey on 1,200 Moroccan adults, 68% were Arab, 25.6% were Berber, 3.6% were Sahrawi, and 2.7% were others.[25]
French is an implicitly "official language" of government and big business, and is taught throughout school and still serves as Morocco's primary language of business, economics, and scientific university education. French is also widely used in the media. Morocco is a member of La Francophonie. Berber activists have struggled since the 1960s for the recognition of their language as an official language of Morocco, which was achieved in July 2011 following the February 20th 2011 uprising. About 20,000 Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak some Spanish.
English, while still far behind French in terms of the number of proficient speakers, is rapidly becoming a foreign language of choice among educated youth and business people. It has been taught to Moroccan students after the fourth year of elementary school since the education reforms of 2002.
Main populated areas
Most Moroccans live west and north of the Atlas Mountains, a range that insulates the country from the Sahara Desert. Casablanca is the largest city and the centre of business and industry, and has the leading seaport and airport. Rabat is the seat of government. Tangier and Nador are the two major northern seaports on the Mediterranean. Fez is a cultural, religious and industrial centre. Marrakesh and Agadir are the two major tourist centres. Oujda is the largest city of eastern Morocco. Meknes houses the military academy. Kenitra has the largest military airbase. Mohammedia has the largest oil refineries and other major industrial installations.
Education
Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). Nevertheless, many children—particularly girls in rural areas—still do not attend school. The country's illiteracy rate is usually around 50 percent for most of the country, but reaches as high as 90 percent among girls in rural regions. In July 2006, Prime minister Driss Jettou announced that illiteracy rate has declined by 39 percent, while two million people had attended literacy courses during the past four years.[27]
Morocco has about 660,000 students enrolled in 14 public universities. One of the oldest and among the most prestigious is Mohammed V in Rabat, with faculties of law, sciences, liberal arts, and medicine. University of Karueein, in Fez, has been a centre for Islamic studies for more than 1,000 years. Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, founded in 1993 by King Hassan II and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, is an English-medium, American-style university comprising about 1,700 students.
Other demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.[28]
One birth every 48 seconds
One death every 3 minutes
One net migrant every 12 minutes
Net gain of one person every 1 minutes
The following demographics are from the CIA World Factbook[29] unless otherwise indicated.
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2020)
note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara
Major infectious diseases
note: clusters of cases of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are occurring in Morocco; as of 6 October 2021, Morocco has reported a total of 936,236 cases of COVID-19 or 2,536.5 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with 38.94 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 2 October 2021, 60.91% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
total: 22.2%
male: 22%
female: 22.8% (2016 est.)
note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara
^ abAguade, Jordi; Cressier, Patrice; Vicente, Angeles, eds. (1998). Peuplement et arabisation au Maghreb occidental : dialectologie et histoire. Zaragoza: Casa de Velazquez.
^Shoup, John (2011). Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Publishers. p. 16. ISBN978-1598843620.
^Stearns, Peter N.; Leonard Langer, William (2001). The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged (6 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 129–131. ISBN978-0-395-65237-4.
^ abNelson, Harold D. (1985). Morocco, a Country Study. Headquarters, Department of the Army. p. 14. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
