Moroccans Lead in Acquiring Belgian Citizenship, New Migration Report Shows

Out of the nearly 40,000 foreigners (38,342 to be exact) who obtained Belgian nationality in 2021, 9% are Moroccans, ahead of Syria and Romania. "Moroccans in Belgium have entered an irreversible stabilization process, as evidenced by their propensity to acquire Belgian nationality...," Hassan Bousetta and Marco Martiniello, two researchers specializing in immigration, already revealed in 2003, quoted by RTBF.

The first Moroccans settled in Belgium in the 1960s, in the Borinage and the Liège region. From 461 in 1964, Moroccans reached 40,000 in 1974 and 343,000 on January 1, 2021. But after the September 11, 2001 attacks, issues of security and loyalty arose.

"The radicalization of part of the Muslim population is leading to a reinterpretation of the Moroccan presence in Belgium," develops Hassan Bousetta, recalling that the perpetrators of the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 and those of Brussels of March 22, 2016 are Belgo-Moroccans.

Moroccans now represent the largest foreign community in Belgium ahead of the Italians. Moroccans in Belgium face problems of unemployment, racism, and discrimination. Most of the first arrivals have become teachers, actors, doctors, deputies, lawyers, entrepreneurs, ministers, police officers, etc.