Study: Morocco Tops MENA Region as Most Religious Country, 90% Say Faith Essential

Morocco ranks first in the ranking of the most religious countries in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA region), established by the Pew Research Center, which conducted a study in 102 countries between 2008 and 2023. Nearly 90% of Moroccans consider religion to be an essential part of their lives, this study reveals. Morocco is followed by Palestine. Jordan occupies the third place. Iraq comes next. Regarding the daily practice of prayer, Morocco ranks fourth. According to the study, more than 70% of Moroccans say they pray daily. Outside the MENA region, Indonesia surpasses the 120 countries studied, with a percentage of 98% of its population giving priority to religion and 95% praying daily.

The results of the Pew Research Center are consistent with a survey conducted by the German statistical platform Statista between April 2022 and March 2023, which also highlighted Morocco’s strong adherence to religion, placing the country among those where religiosity oscillates between 80% and 99%. "The most religious places according to these two measures are generally found in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Middle East-North Africa region. The least religious places are generally found in Europe and East Asia," comments the Pew Research Center.