Soaring Meat Prices Strain Moroccan Budgets for Eid al-Adha Celebrations

According to the High Commission for Planning (HCP), in 2023 the average price of animals for slaughter is 2,400 dirhams, an average annual increase of 5% since 2019. In total, Moroccans will have spent more than 18 billion dirhams.

For the poorest households, Eid Al-Adha represents a significant financial burden, accounting for up to 42% of their monthly budget. In comparison, the wealthiest households see their monthly budget impacted by only 13.3%. Expenses related to this holiday also weigh on the annual budget allocated to meat, with an average percentage of 29%, reaching up to 32.6% for the 20% poorest households.

A correlation has also been observed between the standard of living and the level of education of the head of household and non-participation in the ritual of sacrifice. Nearly a sixth of the wealthiest households (16.4%) do not perform the sacrifice, compared to only 2.5% for the poorest households. This percentage is even higher for households whose head has reached a higher education level, with 17.2% of them not sacrificing a sheep.

National statistics indicate that the number of households that did not perform the ritual of sacrifice during Eid Al-Adha has slightly increased, from 4.7% in 2013-2014 to 7.9% in 2019-2020. This may be due to the growing inflation in meat prices.