Morocco to Boost Defense Budget Amid Rising Tensions with Algeria

9 April 2023 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

Due to the crisis with Algeria, which considers Morocco as an "external enemy", the Moroccan government’s defense budget is expected to rebound after a decline in 2021-22. This is at least what a specialized firm predicts.

According to the latest report on the Moroccan defense market for the 2023-2028 period, published this month by the data and analytics firm GlobalData, defense spending has declined in 2021-22 where a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -12.1% was recorded, but it could increase up to 4% in 2028.

Each year, Morocco devotes a significant portion of its overall gross domestic product (GDP) to defense. From 3.26% in 2019, this share rose to 3.96% (2023), a positive CAGR of 5.0%. According to GlobalData, this share of overall GDP should fluctuate slightly during the forecast period, before reaching 4.00% in 2028.

Comparatively, this figure is exceptionally high, notes the firm, however pointing out that Algeria, Morocco’s main rival, devotes a similar proportion of its GDP to defense.

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

Algeria Defense - Armament Government Council