World Bank: 24% of Moroccans Poor or at Risk of Poverty

In total, 9 million Moroccans, or 24% of the population, are "considered poor or at risk of poverty", out of 35.2 million inhabitants in 2018.

According to the World Bank, several factors explain this state of affairs. First, the slowdown in GDP (2.7%, forecast 2019) due to a "decline in agriculture".

The 2018-2019 agricultural season in Morocco has indeed been gloomy, mainly due to the scarcity of rainfall.

Then, unemployment is one of the challenges weighing on Morocco’s growth. According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate in Morocco is "high in particular for young people and women", despite positive indicators on its decline.

"The unemployment rate will fall slightly to 9.3% in the first half of 2019, as a prolonged decline in labor force participation has fallen to 46.1%".

Fortunately, the economic picture is not entirely gloomy for Morocco.

Indeed, the World Bank indicates that "non-agricultural growth will improve (3.4% in 2019 against 3% in 2018), driven by better performance in phosphate production, chemicals and textiles".