This article is about the demographic features of the population of Morocco,
including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace,
economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The population of Morocco in 2014 is 33,848,242. The overwhelming majority of
Moroccans are of Arab-Berber descent, Part of Moroccans identify themselves as
Berbers through the spoken language, through a mix of familyterritorial ties,
or through both. Another part of Moroccans identify themselves as
Arabized Berbers or simply as Arabs, mostly based on them speaking Moroccan
Arabic and/or not being able to speak Berber. Some of them believe they have
an Arab descent from the Arabian Peninsula or the Levant. Some Moroccans
believe to be of mixed Arab-Berber descent or of Arab-Berber-Andalusian
ancestry. There are no official figures about the exact ethnic origins of all
Moroccans, but the implicitly accepted idea inside and outside Morocco is that
Moroccans are essentially mixed Arab-Berbers.
Morocco is inhabited by Berbers since at least 5,000 years ago. Some estimate the
presence of Berbers to be 8000+ years old. The oldest known sovereign state in
Morocco is the Berber Kingdom of Mauretaina from 110 BC. Part of the
northern areas of Morocco was for limited periods under the rule of
Romans, Vandals, Byzantine principalities, sometimes in alliance
with the indigenous Berbers, such as the one of Julian, count of Ceuta. There was
probably a high occurrence of intermarriage and interbreeding between
some Berbers and European settlers, laying the foundation for the emergence
of Moorish and Romano-Berber cultures. Since around 710 AD, many Arabs from the
Arabian Peninsula and Arabized Levantine people conquered the territory or
migrated to it during the Umayyad conquest, and long after it was
repelled. The deep and mountainous areas of ancient Morocco remained always under
Berber control. A small minority of the population is identified as Haratin and
Gnaoua, dark-skinned sedentary agriculturalists of the southern oases
that speak either Berber or Moroccan Arabic.
About 95% 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 less
than 5,000 Moroccan Jews inside the country. 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. Estimates of Moroccan Christians vary wildly between
30,000 and 300,000. In 2014, most of the 86.206 foreign residents are French
people, Spaniards, Algerians and sub-Saharan African students. There is a
small community of Shia Muslim converts in northwestern Morocco of unknown
numbers. Both Christian and Shia-Muslim Moroccans and their religious activities
are under surveillance and restrictions from Moroccan authorities as they are
seen as a threat to the dominance of Sunni-Islam and the monarch's religious
authority. The number of non-believers and non-religious Moroccans is unknown
but could be in the 10,000s. Secular, non-religious, and Western life styles
are visible in all major Moroccan cities among many rich or educated Moroccans.
For example, Moroccans consume every year hundreds of millions of liters of
locally and legally produced wine and beer. As alcohol beverages are strongly
banned by Islam, their consumption in Morocco is usually considered as a
strong indicator of non-religiosity or of a secular life style that departs
from Islam and traditional life style in general.
Population Source: Haut-Commissariat au Plan
= Fertility Rate = Figures from The Demographic Health
Survey Fertility Rate and CBR:
= Structure of the population = Structure of the population :
Languages Modern Standard Arabic and the Berber
are Morocco's two official languages. The spoken languages in daily life are:
Moroccan Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic and Berber languages.
About 30 ~ 33 million Moroccans speak Moroccan Arabic as a first language,
including Hassaniya Arabic in the extreme south of the country.
About 12 ~ 15 million Moroccans speak Berber languages in three varieties as a
first language. 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. Status of women
The literacy rate is 51 percent for males and 42.5 percent for females. 26
percent of the non-agricultural labor is female. The ratio of boys to girls in
primary and secondary schools is 87 to 9. In the past 20 years, the government
has taken initiatives to improve the status of women in society. For
instance, the Moudawana 2003 code of law has greatly improved the family status
code. It has given women the right to make decisions on marriage, divorce, and
custody of children in the case of remarriage/divorce. Nevertheless, gender
bias is still commonplace in education, employment and the law.
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 center 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 center. Marrakesh and Agadir are the two
major tourist centers. 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. 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.
Morocco has about 660,000 students enrolled in 14 public universities. 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 center 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. CIA World Factbook demographic
statistics The following demographic statistics are
from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Nationality noun: Moroccan(s)
adjective: Moroccan = Vital Statistics =
Population 35 million
Age structure 0-14 years: 27.8%
15-64 years: 66.1% 65 years and over: 6.1%
Median age total: 26.9 years
male: 26.3 years female: 27.4 years
Population growth rate 1.054%
Total fertility rate 2.50 children born/woman
2.59 children born/woman Birth rate
18.97 births/1,000 population Death rate
4.76 deaths/1,000 population Net migration rate
-3.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population Urbanization
urban population: 58% of total population
rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate total: 26.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.59 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.11 years
male: 73.04 years female: 79.32 years
= Ethnic groups = The main ethnic groups are:
60% Arabs 40% Berbers
Category:Ethnic groups in Morocco = Religions =
Sunni Muslim: 98% ~ 99% Christian: 0.5% ~ 1%
Jewish: 0.01% Category:Religion in Morocco
= Literacy = Definition: age 10 and over can read and
write Total population: 73.55%
Category:Education in Morocco References
External links (French) Results of the 2004 census
(French) Results of the 2014 census (Arabic) Results of the 2004 census by
Douars