In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad al-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite Dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half-century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 75% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara. The UN since 1991 has monitored a cease-fire between Morocco and the Polisario Front - an organization advocating the territory’s independence - and restarted negotiations over the status of the territory in December 2018. On 10 December 2020, the US recognized Morocco's sovereignty over all of Western Sahara.
King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the North Africa region by implementing a reform program that included a new constitution, passed by popular referendum in July 2011, under which some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch. In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) - a moderate Islamist party - won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In September 2015, Morocco held its first direct elections for regional councils, one of the reforms included in the 2011 constitution. The PJD again won the largest number of seats in nationwide parliamentary elections in October 2016. In December 2020, Morocco signed a normalization agreement with Israel, similar to those that Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan had concluded with Israel earlier in 2020 .
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Mauritania" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "28 30 N, 10 00 W" }, "Map references": { "text": "Africa" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "716,550 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "716,300 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "250 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly larger than twice the size of California" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "3,523.5 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Algeria 1941 km, Mauritania 1564 km, Spain (Ceuta) 8 km and Spain (Melilla) 10.5 km" }, "note": "note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera" }, "Coastline": { "text": "2,945 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation" } }, "Climate": { "text": "Mediterranean in the north, becoming more extreme in the interior; in the south, hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dewMorocco is undergoing a demographic transition. Its population is growing but at a declining rate, as people live longer and women have fewer children. Infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been reduced through better health care, nutrition, hygiene, and vaccination coverage, although disparities between urban and rural and rich and poor households persist. Morocco’s shrinking child cohort reflects the decline of its total fertility rate from 5 in mid-1980s to 2.2 in 2010, which is a result of increased female educational attainment, higher contraceptive use, delayed marriage, and the desire for smaller families. Young adults (persons aged 15-29) make up almost 26% of the total population and represent a potential economic asset if they can be gainfully employed. Currently, however, many youths are unemployed because Morocco’s job creation rate has not kept pace with the growth of its working-age population. Most youths who have jobs work in the informal sector with little security or benefits.
During the second half of the 20th century, Morocco became one of the world’s top emigration countries, creating large, widely dispersed migrant communities in Western Europe. The Moroccan Government has encouraged emigration since its independence in 1956, both to secure remittances for funding national development and as an outlet to prevent unrest in rebellious (often Berber) areas. Although Moroccan labor migrants earlier targeted Algeria and France, the flood of Moroccan \"guest workers\" from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s spread widely across northwestern Europe to fill unskilled jobs in the booming manufacturing, mining, construction, and agriculture industries. Host societies and most Moroccan migrants expected this migration to be temporary, but deteriorating economic conditions in Morocco related to the 1973 oil crisis and tighter European immigration policies resulted in these stays becoming permanent.
A wave of family migration followed in the 1970s and 1980s, with a growing number of second generation Moroccans opting to become naturalized citizens of their host countries. Spain and Italy emerged as new destination countries in the mid-1980s, but their introduction of visa restrictions in the early 1990s pushed Moroccans increasingly to migrate either legally by marrying Moroccans already in Europe or illegally to work in the underground economy. Women began to make up a growing share of these labor migrants. At the same time, some higher-skilled Moroccans went to the US and Quebec, Canada.
In the mid-1990s, Morocco developed into a transit country for asylum seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa and illegal labor migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia trying to reach Europe via southern Spain, Spain’s Canary Islands, or Spain’s North African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla. Forcible expulsions by Moroccan and Spanish security forces have not deterred these illegal migrants or calmed Europe’s security concerns. Rabat remains unlikely to adopt an EU agreement to take back third-country nationals who have entered the EU illegally via Morocco. Thousands of other illegal migrants have chosen to stay in Morocco until they earn enough money for further travel or permanently as a \"second-best\" option. The launching of a regularization program in 2014 legalized the status of some migrants and granted them equal access to education, health care, and work, but xenophobia and racism remain obstacles.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "27.04% (male 4,905,626/female 4,709,333)" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "16.55% (male 2,953,523/female 2,930,708)" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "40.64% (male 7,126,781/female 7,325,709)" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "8.67% (male 1,533,771/female 1,548,315)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "7.11% (male 1,225,307/female 1,302,581) (2020 est.)" }, "note": "note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara" }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "52.4" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "40.8" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "11.6" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "8.6 (2020 est.)" }, "note": "note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara" }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "29.1 years" }, "male": { "text": "28.7 years" }, "female": { "text": "29.6 years (2020 est.)" }, "note": "note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara" }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "0.92% (2021 est.)note: data does not include former Western Sahara
" }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "6.852 million tons (2014 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "548,160 tons (2014 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "8% (2014 est.)" }, "note": "note: data does not include former Western Sahara" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "Kingdom of Morocco" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Morocco" }, "local long form": { "text": "Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah" }, "local short form": { "text": "Al Maghrib" }, "former": { "text": "French Protectorate in Morocco, Spanish Protectorate in Morocco, Spanish Sahara, Western Sahara" }, "etymology": { "text": "the English name \"Morocco\" derives from, respectively, the Spanish and Portuguese names \"Marruecos\" and \"Marrocos,\" which stem from \"Marrakesh\" the Latin name for the former capital of ancient Morocco; the Arabic name \"Al Maghrib\" translates as \"The West\"" } }, "Government type": { "text": "parliamentary constitutional monarchy" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Rabat" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "34 01 N, 6 49 W" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "daylight saving time": { "text": "+1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October" }, "note": "etymology: name derives from the Arabic title \"Ribat el-Fath,\" meaning \"stronghold of victory,\" applied to the newly constructed citadel in 1170" }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "12 regions; Beni Mellal-Khenifra, Casablanca-Settat, Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Draa-Tafilalet, Fes-Meknes, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Safi, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Souss-Massa, Tanger-Tetouan-Al HoceimaMorocco has capitalized on its proximity to Europe and relatively low labor costs to work towards building a diverse, open, market-oriented economy. Key sectors of the economy include agriculture, tourism, aerospace, automotive, phosphates, textiles, apparel, and subcomponents. Morocco has increased investment in its port, transportation, and industrial infrastructure to position itself as a center and broker for business throughout Africa. Industrial development strategies and infrastructure improvements - most visibly illustrated by a new port and free trade zone near Tangier - are improving Morocco's competitiveness.
In the 1980s, Morocco was a heavily indebted country before pursuing austerity measures and pro-market reforms, overseen by the IMF. Since taking the throne in 1999, King MOHAMMED VI has presided over a stable economy marked by steady growth, low inflation, and gradually falling unemployment, although poor harvests and economic difficulties in Europe contributed to an economic slowdown. To boost exports, Morocco entered into a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with the US in 2006 and an Advanced Status agreement with the EU in 2008. In late 2014, Morocco eliminated subsidies for gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil, dramatically reducing outlays that weighed on the country’s budget and current account. Subsidies on butane gas and certain food products remain in place. Morocco also seeks to expand its renewable energy capacity with a goal of making renewable more than 50% of installed electricity generation capacity by 2030.
Despite Morocco's economic progress, the country suffers from high unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy, particularly in rural areas. Key economic challenges for Morocco include reforming the education system and the judiciary.
" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "2.5% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "2.96% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "3.98% (2017 est.)" } }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "0.2% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "2% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "0.7% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "BB+ (2020)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Ba1 (1999)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "BBB- (2010)" } }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$279.295 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$272.531 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017": { "text": "$264.212 billion (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$118.858 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$7,515 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$7,438 (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2017": { "text": "$7,314 (2017 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Gross national saving": { "Gross national saving 2019": { "text": "27.8% of GDP (2019 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2018": { "text": "27.8% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Gross national saving 2017": { "text": "29.1% of GDP (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "14% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "29.5% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "56.5% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "58% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "18.9% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "28.4% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "4.2% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "37.1% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-46.6% (2017 est.)" } }, "Ease of Doing Business Index scores": { "Overall score": { "text": "73.4 (2020)" }, "Starting a Business score": { "text": "93 (2020)" }, "Trading score": { "text": "85.6 (2020)" }, "Enforcement score": { "text": "63.7 (2020)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "wheat, sugar beet, milk, potatoes, olives, tangerines/mandarins, tomatoes, oranges, barley, onions" }, "Industries": { "text": "automotive parts, phosphate mining and processing, aerospace, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, energy, tourism" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "2.8% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "10.399 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "39.1%" }, "industry": { "text": "20.3%" }, "services": { "text": "40.5% (2014 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "9.23% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "9.65% (2018 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "4.8% (2013 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2013": { "text": "39.5 (2013 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1999": { "text": "39.5 (1999 est.)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "2.7%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "33.2% (2007)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "22.81 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "26.75 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "20.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-3.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "65.1% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "64.9% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "-$5.075 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "-$6.758 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2019": { "text": "$48.565 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$46.608 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Exports 2017": { "text": "$44.033 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "Spain 23%, France 19% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "cars, insulated wiring, fertilizers, phosphoric acid, clothing and apparel (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2019": { "text": "$64.12 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$61.535 billion (2018 est.)" }, "Imports 2017": { "text": "$57.257 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "Spain 19%, France 11%, China 9%, United States 7%, Germany 5%, Turkey 5%, Italy 5% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "refined petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, natural gas, coal, low-voltage protection equipment (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$26.27 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$25.37 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$52.957 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$51.851 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "9.0065 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "9.657 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "9.48825 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "9.7351 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "8.3798 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "28.75 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "28.25 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "165 million kWh (2015 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "5.289 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "8.303 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "68% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "16% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "15% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "160 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "61,160 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "684,000 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "66,230 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "278,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "9,504 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "229,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "87.78 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "1.218 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "1.133 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "1.444 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "2,054,545" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "5.83 (2019 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "46,666,722" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "132.51 (2019 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "despite Morocco's economic progress, the country suffers from high unemployment and illiteracy affecting telecom market, particularly in rural areas; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay; one of the most state-of-the-art markets in Africa; high mobile penetration rates in the region with low cost for broadband Internet access; improvement in LTE reach and capabilities; 5G tests underway; mobile Internet accounts for 93% of all Internet connections; World Bank provided funds for Morocco’s digital transformation; government supported digital education during pandemic; submarine cables and satellite provide connectivity to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia; importer of broadcasting equipment and video displays from China (2021)
(2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line teledensity is 6 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 128 per 100 persons; good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat (2019)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 212; landing point for the Atlas Offshore, Estepona-Tetouan, Canalink and SEA-ME-WE-3 fiber-optic telecommunications undersea cables that provide connectivity to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Australia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara (2019)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "2 TV broadcast networks with state-run Radio-Television Marocaine (RTM) operating one network and the state partially owning the other; foreign TV broadcasts are available via satellite dish; 3 radio broadcast networks with RTM operating one; the government-owned network includes 10 regional radio channels in addition to its national service (2019)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".ma" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "22,596,729" }, "percent of population": { "text": "64.8% (July 2018 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "1,751,341" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "4.97 (2019 est.)" } }, "Communications - note": { "text": "the University of al-Quarawiyyin Library in Fez is recognized as the oldest existing, continually operating library in the world, dating back to A.D. 859; among its holdings are approximately 4,000 ancient Islamic manuscripts" } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "3 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "76" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "8,132,917 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "97.71 million mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "CN" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "62 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "36 (2020)" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "13 (2020)" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "12 (2020)" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "6 (2020)" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "4 (2020)" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "1 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "26 (2020)" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "2 (2020)" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "6 (2020)" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "12 (2020)" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "6 (2020)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "1 (2013)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "944 km gas, 270 km oil, 175 km refined products (2013)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "2,067 km (2014)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "2,067 km 1.435-m gauge (1,022 km electrified) (2014)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "57,300 km (2018)" } }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "88" }, "by type": { "text": "container ship 7, general cargo 4, oil tanker 2, other 75 (2020)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Ad Dakhla, Casablanca, Jorf Lasfar, Laayoune (El Aaiun), Mohammedia, Safi, Tangier" }, "container port(s) (TEUs)": { "text": "Tangier (3,312,409) (2017)" }, "LNG terminal(s) (import)": { "text": "Jorf Lasfar" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Royal Armed Forces: Royal Moroccan Army, Royal Moroccan Navy (includes Coast Guard, marines), Royal Moroccan Air Force, Morroccan Royal Guard (provides security for the royal family; officially part of the Royal Army); Royal Morroccan Gendarmerie (Ministry of Defense); Mobile Intervention Corps (a motorized paramilitary security force under the Ministry of Interior that supplements the military and the police as needed) (2020)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "3.1% of GDP (2019)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "3.1% of GDP (2018)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "3.2% of GDP (2017)" }, "Military Expenditures 2016": { "text": "3.2% of GDP (2016)" }, "Military Expenditures 2015": { "text": "3.2% of GDP (2015)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "the Royal Armed Forces have approximately 200,000 active personnel (175,000 Army; 10,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force); est. 25,000 Gendarmerie (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Moroccan military's inventory is comprised of mostly older French and US equipment; since 2010, France and the US are the leading suppliers of weapons to Morocco (2020)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "750 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 925 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (Jan 2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "19 years of age for compulsory military service (reintroduced in 2019); both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2019)" } }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; both countries claim Isla Perejil (Leila Island); discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation, setting limits on resource exploration and refugee interdiction, since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; the National Liberation Front's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco is a dormant dispute
" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "the world's largest producer and exporter of cannabis; total production for 2015-2016 growing season estimated to be 700 metric tons; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; significant consumer of cannabis" } } }