Moroccan Diaspora Returns: 190,000 Expats Resettle in Key Regions Since 2000

The High Commission for Planning defines a "migrant" as "any member of the surveyed household, born in Morocco, who has lived abroad for at least 3 months, and who has returned since January 1, 2000". This survey took into account a representative sample of 4,635 individuals, while there are a total of 187,566 MREs, of whom 81.2% reside in cities. Still according to the survey, they are mostly men, aged 15 to 39, 74% of whom come from three European countries: France, Italy and Spain.

For their part, the women come in their vast majority from France, with 38%, followed by Italy (20.3%) and Spain (11%). The oldest migrants come from France. They are 50.4% aged 60 and over, coming from Italy (13.5%) and Spain (12.9%). The survey indicates that it is the women who predominantly hold a higher education level, with 39.1% against 24.3% for men.

Several reasons explain the return to the homeland. The survey cites family reunification, especially among MREs from North American countries with 41% and traditional European immigration countries with 29.6%. But also retirement, with 18.3% of men and 3.5% of women. There are also constraints related to employment, such as unemployment or poor working conditions, as well as the end of the contract.

To all this are added other reasons related to deportations and refoulements, nostalgia to return to the country of origin, the education and training of children or the state of health and the desire to invest in the country of origin. Migrants who have decided to return to their country of origin represent 83%, the HCP specifies.