On the border between Africa and Europe, Morocco has been cradled throughout its two thousand years of history by diverse influences. The Berbers, the original inhabitants of Morocco, have mixed throughout history with Jews and nomadic tribes from the south of the Kingdom. The latter have carried a unique language, Hassani. The Arabs conquered the country between the 7th and 11th centuries, when it was populated mainly by Berbers and Romano-Berbers. Today, Arab-Berbers represent 98% of the population; they are Sunni Muslims. Sub-Saharan come from what was once the empire of Ghana, which covered Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gambia and 85% of Mali. Descendants of Europeans joined Morocco after the Arabs withdrew from Europe in the 15th century.

The Moroccan People

Morocco has 35 million inhabitants, 62% of whom live in cities; although it is a young country, 42% of the population is under 25 years of age, as in other emerging countries, the underlying trend is an ageing population -; this is the result of the combination of a falling birth rate, linked to the rising level of education of women, and the increase in life expectancy, linked to the general health environment. From a demographic standpoint, with an average of 2.2 children per woman, Morocco remains one of the most dynamic countries in terms of birth rate.

The Moroccan diaspora (4.5 million Moroccans live outside Morocco) is increasingly contributing to the country’s economic development, under the effect of the socio-economic rise across all generations. Morocco is home to more than 80,000 foreigners mainly of European (40%) and African (42%) origin. (source: HCP 2014)

On the border between Africa and Europe, Morocco has been influenced throughout its 2,500 years of history by various cultures. The Berbers are the original inhabitants of Morocco, who were mixed with Jews and nomadic tribes in the south of the Kingdom during the course of history. The Arabs conquered the country between the 7th and 11th centuries. Today the Arab-Berbers represent 98% of the population, they are Sunni Muslims, of Malekite rite.

From the Origins to Present Day