Casablanca Drops to 5th Largest Francophone City in Africa, UN Study Finds

According to the latest UN population projections, cited by a study by the Center for Study and Reflection on the French-speaking World (CERMF), the economic capital of Morocco will have this year an estimated population of 3.8 million, lower than the 3.9 million projected for the Cameroonian city.

This decline of the city of Casablanca is explained by the rise of French-speaking metropolises in sub-Saharan Africa, which now occupy eight of the top ten places in the ranking of French-speaking cities in Africa, the report indicates, specifying that the Moroccan city ranks behind Kinshasa (15.3 million), Abidjan (5.4), Yaoundé (4.3) and now Douala.

According to UN projections, Casablanca would only be the sole representative of the Maghreb in the top 10 ranking in 2035, while only ranking tenth (4.7 million inhabitants, very far behind Kinshasa, which would exceed 25 million).

Regarding investment on the continent, Morocco, currently the second African investor, is on the verge of overtaking South Africa, in serious economic decline, the study points out.