Morocco: Decrease in Unemployment Rate by 2025

The General Directorate of Planning reported that the unemployment rate in Morocco reached 13% in 2025, marking a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year. Consequently, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 17,000 people to reach 1,621,000.

Unemployment by Residence and Gender

Rural Areas: decreased from 6.8% to 6.6% (-0.2 points)

Urban Areas: decreased from 16.9% to 16.4% (-0.5 points)

By gender:

Women: increased from 19.4% to 20.5% (+1.1 points)

Men: decreased from 11.6% to 10.8% (-0.8 points)

Unemployment by Age Group and Education Level

15–24 Years: increased from 36.7% to 37.2%

25–34 Years: decreased from 21% to 20.9%

35–44 Years: decreased from 7.6% to 7.2%

45 Years and Older: decreased from 4% to 3.6%

By education level:

Graduates: decreased from 19.6% to 19.1%

Non-Graduates: decreased from 5.2% to 4.7%

The most significant declines were observed in:

Technical Graduates and Intermediate Managers: -2.3 points (24%)

Professionally Qualified Graduates: -1.9 points (22%)

Characteristics of Unemployed Individuals

In 2025, the following was noted:

Unemployed individuals who have never worked: 49.3% → 52.9%

Long-term unemployment (≥ 1 year): 62.4% → 64.8%

Average duration of unemployment: 31 → 33 months

Profile of unemployed individuals who have previously worked:

81.3% reside in urban areas

75.4% are men

58.1% are between 15 and 34 years old

75% are graduates: 46% at the intermediate level, 29% at the higher level

86.7% are employees, 12.2% are self-employed

Sector distribution: 55.5% services, 17.1% industry, 15.5% construction

Underemployment

Between 2024 and 2025, the underemployment rate rose from 1,082,000 to 1,190,000 individuals:

Urban: 585,000 → 652,000

Rural: 496,000 → 538,000

The national underemployment rate increased from 10.1% to 10.9%:

Urban: 8.9% → 9.6%

Rural: 12.2% → 13.2%

By sector:

Construction: 19.6% → 21.7%

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing: 12.1% → 12.9%

Industry: 6.3% → 7.1%

Services: 7.9% → 8.4%

Underemployment Due to Insufficient Hours and Income

Number of underemployed individuals due to lack of hours: 595,000 → 617,000

Corresponding rate: 5.6% → 5.7%

Insufficient income or mismatch with qualifications: 486,000 → 573,000

Corresponding rate: 4.6% → 5.3%

Urban: 4.6% → 5.2%

Rural: 4.5% → 5.4%