فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The High Commissioner for Planning, Chakib Benmoussa, presented on Tuesday in Rabat the detailed results of the 7th General Census of Population and Housing (RGPH 2024), conducted from September 1 to 30 last year.
During a press conference held on this occasion, Benmoussa unveiled revealing data on Morocco’s demographic, social, and economic developments, highlighting increasing urbanization and persistent challenges in employment and inequalities.
The legal population of Morocco as of September 1, 2024, reached 36.8 million inhabitants, with an average annual growth rate of 0.85% between 2014 and 2024, he indicated. As for urbanization, it continues to progress, reaching 62.8%, compared to 51.4% in 1994, he continued, noting that nearly 38% of the urban population is concentrated in seven major cities, with Casablanca leading (3.236 million inhabitants).
In another vein, Benmoussa noted that the total fertility rate stood at 1.97 children per woman in 2024, a level below the generation replacement threshold, set at 2.1. This trend is accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of children and working-age people, while the proportion of seniors in the population is increasing, reflecting ongoing demographic transformations, he said.
On the socio-economic front, the High Commissioner for Planning highlighted the decline in the activity rate of people aged 15 and over, from 47.6% in 2014 to 41.6% in 2024, accompanied by an increase in the unemployment rate to 21.3%, particularly affecting women and rural areas, with marked regional disparities.
In the same vein, he specified that this unemployment rate is based on declarations and the population’s perception, recalling that the census offers a global vision of the situation at regional and national levels and aims to provide exploitable data for cross-analyses on related themes. In parallel, 69.8% of the population benefits from medical coverage, despite disparities between regions, he pointed out.
Regarding human capital, he highlighted the progress made in the average duration of schooling, which reached 6.3 years compared to 4.4 in 2014, as well as the reduction in the illiteracy rate to 24.8%, thanks to notable advances in rural areas and among women. The housing stock has modernized, according to Benmoussa, with an increase in “modern Moroccan house” type dwellings, particularly in rural areas (37.6% in 2024 compared to 25.9% in 2014).
In urban areas, 61.5% of households own their housing, while 97.1% of homes have access to electricity. The High Commissioner for Planning also reported that 82.9% of Moroccan households have a connection to the drinking water network, while in rural areas, 23.6% of households still use other equipped sources of drinking water, such as fountains, wells, or water points.
Benmoussa thus affirmed that the census results reflect progress made in several sectors, while calling for intensified efforts to reduce inequalities and address socio-economic challenges.
Furthermore, he presented the results of the Economic Establishments Mapping (CEE) for 2023/2024, revealing the existence of 1,304,564 active establishments, of which 1,130,021 are for-profit (excluding the agricultural sector) generating 3.6 million permanent jobs. He continued that female labor represents 27.7% of total permanent employment, while 10% of establishments are managed by women, employing 7.8% of total employment.
