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 80% 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 - Western Sahara's liberation movement - and leads ongoing negotiations over the status of the territory.
King MOHAMMED VI in early 2011 responded to the spread of pro-democracy protests in the 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 ever 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.

arable land: 17.5%
permanent crops: 2.9%
permanent pasture: 47.1%

Morocco 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.

urban: 98.7% of population
rural: 65.3% of population
total: 85.4% of population
urban: 1.3% of population
rural: 34.7% of population
total: 14.6% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 84.1% of population
rural: 65.5% of population
total: 76.7% of population
urban: 15.9% of population
rural: 34.5% of population
total: 23.3% of population (2015 est.)

Morocco 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 weighted 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 2,030
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.

$281.4 billion (2016 est.)
$274.5 billion (2015 est.)
$259.8 billion (2014 est.)

1.2% (2016 est.)
4.6% (2015 est.)
2.7% (2014 est.)

$8,200 (2016 est.)
$8,100 (2015 est.)
$7,900 (2014 est.)

28.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
28.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
26.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

9.4% (2016 est.)
9.7% (2015 est.)

40.9 (2007 est.)
39.5 (1999 est.)

77.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
75.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

1.6% (2016 est.)
1.6% (2015 est.)

6.5% (31 December 2010)
3.31% (31 December 2009)

5.73% (31 December 2016 est.)
5.73% (31 December 2015 est.)

$74.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$71.58 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$89.22 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$85.59 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$109.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$106.5 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$45.93 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$52.75 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$53.83 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$-4.537 billion (2016 est.)
$-2.161 billion (2015 est.)

$18.88 billion (2016 est.)
$18.62 billion (2015 est.)

$36.59 billion (2016 est.)
$33.31 billion (2015 est.)

$25.37 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$23.01 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$44.65 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$42.99 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$54.78 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$49.67 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.203 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$4.557 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar -
9.7787 (2016 est.)
9.7787 (2015 est.)
9.7351 (2014 est.)
8.3798 (2013 est.)
8.6 (2012 est.)

3.28% of GDP (2016)
3.25% of GDP (2015)
3.68% of GDP (2014)
3.81% of GDP (2013)
3.46% of GDP (2012)