Demographics of Morocco

Demographics of Morocco
Population pyramid of Morocco in 2020
Population	37,02 million (2023 est.)
Growth rate	1.31% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	17.42 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	73.68 years
• male	71.98 years
• female	75.46 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	1.97 children born/woman (2024 census)
Infant mortality rate	19.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-1.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	27.04%
65 and over	7.11%
Sex ratio
Total	1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.04 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.81 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Moroccan
Major ethnic	Arabs (67%)[1]
Minor ethnic	Berbers (31%)[1] Sahrawis (2%)[1]
Language
Official	Arabic, Berber
Spoken	Arabic, Berber

Demographic features of the population of Morocco include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The population of Morocco in 2021 is 37.271 million.^[2]

Moroccans are primarily of Arab and Berber origin.^[3][4][5] Socially, there are two contrasting groups of Moroccans: those living in the cities and those in the rural areas. Among the rural, several classes have formed such as landowners, peasants, and tenant farmers. Moroccans live mainly in the north and west portions of Morocco. However, they prefer living in the more fertile regions near the Mediterranean Sea.

Between the Nile and the Red Sea were living Arab tribes expelled from Arabia for their turbulence, Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, who often plundered farming areas in the Nile Valley.^[6] According to Ibn Khaldun, whole tribes set off with women, children, ancestors, animals and camping equipment.^[6] These tribes, along with others, who mass arrived in the region of Morocco in colossal numbers around the 12th-13th centuries,^[7] and later the Ma'qil in the 14th century, contributed to a more extensive ethnic, cultural, and linguistic Arabization of Morocco over time, especially beyond the major urban centres and the northern regions well into the countryside.^[8][7] The descendants of the original Arab settlers who continue to speak Arabic as a first language currently form the single largest population group in North Africa.^[9]

About 99% of Moroccans are considered to be Sunni Muslims religiously or culturally. The numbers of the Jewish minority has decreased significantly since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Today there are 2,500 Moroccan Jews inside the country.^[10] Thousands of Moroccan Jews living in Europe, Israel and North America visit the country regularly. There is a small but apparently growing minority of Moroccan Christians made of local Moroccan converts (not Europeans). In 2014, most of the 86,206 foreign residents are French people, Spaniards, Algerians and sub-Saharan African students.