Morocco’s Spousal Age Gap Widens, HCP Study Finds

Published on October 10, on the occasion of National Women’s Day, this note reveals that in "Morocco, half of the couples had an age difference of more than 6 years in 2004 and more than 7 years in 2011 and 2018.

As for the average age gap, it went from 7.2 years in 2004 to 7.7 years in 2011, then to 7.9 years in 2018." These average age gaps vary depending on whether one is in an urban or rural environment. For example, for couples living in rural areas, the average age gap is less than 0.4 years compared to couples in urban areas.

The HCP points out that if the average age gap has changed in less than 20 years, it is because there are more and more women married to older men. In 2018 for example, 87.1% of women were younger than their husbands, 9.5% were the same age and only 3.4% were older. "The percentage of couples with age gaps ranging from 2 to 9 years is decreasing, while that of couples with gaps between 10 and 20 years is increasing over time," the note specifies.