Morocco Economy

Moroccans benefit from a comparatively extensive social safety net, including a fairly large and generous pension scheme that begins at age 60 for government workers. However, a slowdown in hiring, combined with a demographic bulge that is on the verge of retirement, has combined to stretch the finances of the pension system – a challenge that...

A tour of West and Central Africa by Morocco’s head of state in May 2015 has underlined the country’s increasing efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties with its neighbours south of the Sahara.

In the wake of the international financial crisis and the Arab Spring, Morocco has started running ever-widening fiscal and current account deficits. However, moves to slash energy subsidies, as well as the fall in international oil price, have helped to dramatically reduce both, boosting liquidity and exchange reserves. This has allowed the...

North Africa has undergone some turbulent times over the past four years, but among all of the regime changes and revolutions, Morocco has maintained an impressive level of stability. The kingdom has deliberately cultivated a reputation as one of the most moderate and tolerant countries in the region, aided in part by reforms enacted under...

A tradition of centralised rule has typically limited the autonomy of the different administrative subdivisions in Morocco. However, the idea of greater devolution of power to local and regional authorities – to increase local participation in the governance process, to reduce development disparities and to improve transparency – has been...

Owing its ancient name to its geographic location, Morocco, also known as Al Maghreb, meaning “the West” in Arabic, boasts a mix of indigenous Berber, Arab, African and European influences. Situated on the western tip of North Africa and the region’s only monarchy, the kingdom has been able to fashion its rich cultural heritage into a...