A changing demography
The Moroccan population experienced significant demographic growth in the 1950s, with rates in excess of 3%, before declining and stabilizing at around 1%. From almost 12 million in 1960, it now stands at over 37 million, of whom around 60% live in cities. Since 2014, more than a third of the Moroccan population is considered to live on the Casablanca-Kénitra axis. This ever-increasing rate of urbanization is a cause for concern, as it is leading to a reduction in the number of children per household, since living conditions in urban areas are more restrictive than those in the countryside. Estimated at 5.52 children per woman in 1982, the fertility rate fell to 3.28 in 1994, stabilizing at around 2.2 children per woman in the 2000s. However, the rate is still slightly higher in rural areas. As for life expectancy, it will be 77.2 years in 2022, compared with 63 years ten years earlier. Here too, there are some differences between urban and rural areas, with rural dwellers living shorter lives, due to the arduous nature of their work and more complicated living conditions. However, even though one in three inhabitants is under 15 years of age, the population is ageing, and the elderly will represent around 12% of the population in 2022.
The Berbers, indigenous people of North Africa
The Berbers, an ethnic group from North Africa, have inhabited Morocco since prehistoric times. Although also settled in other Maghreb countries, it is in the Moroccan kingdom that they are the most numerous. It is estimated that they alone account for more than 65% of the population. The arrival of Arabs in Morocco led to a rapid conversion of Berbers to Islam and a mixing of populations. Many of them now consider themselves to be Arabized Berbers. They are found mainly in the big cities, in contrast to ethnic Berbers, who tend to settle in rural areas, especially in the south and in the mountains. The latter have retained all their culture and beliefs and are very attached to tribality. They are said to account for nearly 40 per cent of the kingdom's population. In Morocco, the Berbers can be divided into three main groups: the Masmouda, who live in the Rif, the High Atlas and the Anti-Atlas; the Sanhaja, settled in the South, the Tafilalet, the Middle Atlas and the Mediterranean Rif; and finally, the Zénètes, who are found in eastern Morocco and in the Middle Atlas around Meknes.
The Arabs, the builders of Morocco
Like the Berbers, the Arabs have various ethnic origins, although their geographical origin is the Arabian Peninsula. The word Arab, in the Semitic language, meant "desert and nomadism". The Arabs came to settle in successive waves from the seventh century, following Idriss, who was fleeing persecution by the Caliph of Baghdad. Idriss succeeded in converting a large number of Berbers to Islam, and founded the first real unified kingdom of Morocco. He also made Fez his capital. The Arabs continued their expansion in the 12th and 13th centuries when several dynasties succeeded each other in power, making Marrakech and Fez in turn the symbol of their influence beyond the borders. Little attracted by the mountains, they do not seek to penetrate them, preferring the plains, cities and steppe plateaus. Today, this ethnic group would represent around 20% of the population, even if this figure is to be taken with precaution if we consider the mix of populations, the extreme complexity, the interpenetration and the fluidity of identities. The fact remains that at the head of the country, Mohammed VI, who belongs to the Alawite dynasty, the family descended from the Prophet, is of Arab origin and religion.
Moroccan Jews, a diminished community
Some arrived in ancient times, after being dispersed by the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Others came in the 14th and 15thcenturies , when, persecuted in Europe, they settled in Mediterranean ports to trade. Shortly before independence, Moroccan Jews numbered 200,000. Most lived in the mellahs (Jewish quarters) of the major cities. Once numerous, most emigrated to Israel between 1947 and 1965, as the new state lacked peasant labor. By 1996, Moroccan Jews had dwindled to 15,000, and today represent just 0.2% of the population. They are mainly to be found in Casablanca, but also to a lesser extent in Rabat, Essaouira and Marrakech. Having lived in Morocco long before its Arabization, Jews were well integrated into the Moroccan population and enjoyed a good reputation, so much so that some of them have been and still are advisors to the king. A case in point is the emblematic figure of André Azoulay, in turn advisor to Hassan II and then Mohammed VI, and creator of the Gnaoua festival in Essaouira, his hometown. The kingdom gradually sought to restore the image of Jews and give them the place they deserved in its community. After the creation of the first two museums dedicated to Judaism in the Arab world in Casablanca, 167 Jewish tombs and shrines were renovated in 2010, under the royal impetus of the desire to promote forgotten Jewish heritage. In Fez, where Moroccan Judaism has left its deepest imprint, a museum of Jewish memory was recently opened. Although efforts are being made to re-learn how to live together, it cannot be denied that tensions are running high and anti-Semitism is still rife in the country, linked in large part to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Haratins, a minority in Morocco
The Haratines are the black inhabitants who live in the oases of the Sahara, particularly in the Draa valley. They are said to be descendants of the prehistoric populations of the Sahara who, when it dried up, came to seek refuge to the north. Others are descendants of former slaves from the Sahel and the sub-Saharan region of West Africa, largely recruited by Sultan Moulay Ismail in the seventeenth century. It is still among them that the king recruited his black guard. Today, the Haratines belong to the most disadvantaged social strata and are subject to racism, although they are perhaps the oldest inhabitants of the country. In Essaouira, however, they enjoy a more favourable reputation, attached to Gnawa music, which is in vogue among young people, especially since the creation of a festival entirely devoted to it.
The Sahrawis, conquering their land
The Saharawis are first and foremost a people of nomadic origin who moved through the desert, particularly in the south-west, in the territory that is now known as Western Sahara. This ethnic group, which has its own culture and its own language, the hassaniya, was divested of its lands first by the Spanish under colonization, then today by Morocco, which occupies its "territory militarily", according to the Fourth Geneva Convention. As the Saharawis claimed independence from the land of their ancestors from the time of colonisation, the political and armed movement of the Polisario Front was born in 1973. Three years later, while Mauritania and Morocco were fighting over the territory, the Polisario Front proclaimed the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), this portion of the southern desert. Mauritania withdrew from the conflict in 1991, and tensions between the Moroccan kingdom and the Saharawi people have persisted ever since. The United Nations, which wishes to maintain peace in Western Sahara, has a mission, that of organizing a referendum (MINURSO), but since 1991, talks have been ongoing. Meanwhile, Morocco continued to invest and develop infrastructure in Western Sahara, where the number of northern Moroccans was growing at the expense of the indigenous population, which was losing ground.
Foreign residents, a significant presence
Long considered a transit country to Europe, Morocco is now attracting more and more foreign nationals to settle here, thanks to a number of agreements signed with certain countries. More than 102,000 foreigners now live in Morocco, representing almost 0.3% of the country's population. The French, historically linked to the country, are the largest foreign community, with over 53,800 nationals. Attracted by the dynamic economy, the sunshine and a cost of living some 30% lower than in Europe, business migrants, young French retirees and those who love the country are increasingly numerous, all the more so as the Moroccan kingdom grants substantial tax breaks to expatriates, and the French Republic allows them to draw their pensions and benefit from social security cover in Morocco. Many are buying houses, particularly in Marrakech's palm grove district. African nationals, particularly from Sub-Saharan Africa, are also very present in Morocco, accounting for 41.6% of the resident foreign population. At the top of the list are the Senegalese, who, after the French, are the largest community in Morocco, with over 6,000 residents. There is also a significant presence of Algerians (6.8%), Syrians (6.2%) and Spaniards (4.8%). And to a lesser extent, Guineans (2.9%), Ivorians (2.7%), Libyans (2.4%) and Italians (2.3%). Almost all of these foreign nationals live in urban areas, with just over 4,000 living in rural areas. They are mainly to be found in the north and interior of the country, mainly in the Greater Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Marrakech-Safi regions.
