Morocco faces specter of population ageing

Morocco’s population is ageing with a fertility rate of 1.97 children per woman, head of the planning agency HCP said.

Speaking at a presentation on the detailed results of the 2024 census, Chakib Benmousa said the fertility rate is below the 2.1 children per woman, generally believed to be needed to maintain a stable population.

With demographic growth declining to 0.85% in 2024 “The age pyramid has reversed, as the percentage of children under 15 and the working-age population have continuously decreased, while the percentage of people over 60 has increased. This indicates an aging Moroccan society,” said Benmoussa.

Morocco’s total population grew by 2.98 million people since the last census in 2014, to 36.8 million in 2024, but it is expected to reach a peak of 40 million before declining, Benmousa said.

The census showed a growth in the urban population to 63%, from some 51% in the 1990s, with Casablanca, Tangier, Fez and Marrakech topping Morocco’s most populous cities.

Results have also revealed an unemployment rate at 21%, while the number of Amazigh speakers was put at 25%.