Morocco

Morocco: steady but modest growth, 1980–2025

A relatively diversified economy for the region, spanning phosphate exports, agriculture, tourism, and a growing automotive and aerospace manufacturing base built on European supply-chain integration. Between 1980 and 2025, Morocco's GDP per capita grew from $1,110 to $4,672 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 3.2% — steady but modest growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 3.9% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 3.9 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 15.1% to 10.5% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 46.7% to 52.3% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 55.2 to 75.5 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 6.0% to 48.2%, while the urban population share grew from 41.1% to 63.1%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 0.81 to 1.84 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) widened from 36.5 to 39.5; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 22.4% to 3.7%.