Migration in Morocco: History, Current Trends and Future ... - MGSoG

government has invested in diversifying the economy, which would consequently create
employment opportunities, Morocco still confronts formidable challenges (World Bank,
2009). Morocco must deal with volatile economic growth, social inequalities that persist
despite the income increase, high unemployment rates, and increasing pressure on natural
resources. Morocco is responsive to central challenges of domestic security and economic
development, yet managing these problems will continue to be difficult.
2.4 Demographics in Morocco
Morocco’s total population has almost tripled since the 1950s (Van der Erf and
Heering, 2002). According to World Bank data, in 2008 the total population of Morocco
was 31.23 million, yet the annual population growth has been significantly decreasing in
the last few decades. In 2008 the annual population growth was observed to be 1.2%,
compared to more than 3% in the 1950s. The United Nations projects that Morocco’s
population will reach 40 million people by 2025, and the annual population growth will
be less than 1%.
Figure 1 Population Size for Morocco
Source. U.S. Census Bureau, International Database, 2009
Note: For the projection of the population, the UN has used medium variation levels.
There is a net population growth in Morocco that is a result of positive natural
increase, although its effect is compensated to a certain extent by several factors. In 2007
there was a net migration of approximately 550,000 people. There has also been a
considerable decline in the total fertility rate: in 2007, the total fertility rate was 2.4
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