Marriage Has Become an Almost Inaccessible Luxury in Morocco

In Morocco, marriage remains associated with the desire to start a family, but it is increasingly clashing with a difficult economic reality. According to the first results of the HCP’s 2025 National Family Survey, nearly 39% of single people who refuse marriage or hesitate to marry cite first and foremost economic and material constraints.

On Bladi.net : Morocco: More than 50% of singles no longer wish to get married

Behind this figure, the report points to very concrete obstacles: the difficulty of accessing independent housing, insufficient income, unemployment and the high cost of marriage. In other words, it is not only the desire to marry that is in question, but the ability to assume the expenses surrounding married life.

The weight of money appears especially among men. Economic and material constraints are cited by 54% of single men concerned by marriage refusal or indecision. Among women, the reasons given are different: they mention more the life cycle, particularly young age and continuing studies, as well as relational and family constraints.

The blockage becomes particularly visible between ages 25 and 39, when the marriage project often becomes more concrete. In this age group, economic and material constraints become largely dominant, with 60.9% of responses. Among 18-24 year-olds, hesitations are more linked to studies and economic dependence.

The report also shows that material difficulties are cited more in rural areas, at 43.2%, compared to 37.4% in urban areas. This difference can be explained by access to employment, income levels, housing conditions and the ability of families to provide financial support to young adults.

The paradox is that marriage retains strong family value. Among single people who declare they want to marry, 77.6% cite first and foremost the desire to start a family and have children. This motivation remains majority regardless of gender, place of residence or family type.

But between the wish to marry and the possibility of doing so, the gap is widening. The HCP indicates that 51.7% of single people declare they do not wish to marry, while 40.6% express the intention to do so and 7.7% remain undecided. This refusal is more frequent in cities and more expressed by men.

On Bladi.net : End of Large Families: Why 70% of Married Moroccan Women Don’t Want More Children

These data outline a profound evolution of Moroccan society. Marriage is not rejected as a family project, but it is becoming harder to achieve. For many single people, it now requires housing, stable income, the ability to finance the ceremony and economic security that not everyone manages to secure.