HCP: Foreign residents in Morocco surge 76% in a decade, driven by subsaharan migration

The number of foreign residents has shot up to 148,152 people in 2024, compared to 84,001 in 2014. That’s a 76% jump in a decade, a shift that is quietly reshaping the country’s demographic map, according to new data from the High Commission for Planning (HCP).

The biggest change comes from Sub-Saharan Africa. A decade ago, Sub-Saharan nationals made up just over a quarter of all foreigners in Morocco. Today, they account for nearly 60%, turning this group into the country’s largest foreign community. 

Senegalese residents lead with 18.4%, followed closely by Ivorians at 17.3%. The French remain the largest Western community at 13.8%, even though the share of Europeans overall has dropped sharply, from 40% ten years ago to 20.3% now.

Most newcomers are settling in the major cities. Casablanca-Settat alone hosts 43.3% of all foreign residents, a huge jump from 35.1% in 2014. 

Rabat-Salé-Kénitra still ranks second with 19.2%, though its share has shrunk. Marrakech-Safi and Souss-Massa have both seen their foreign populations more than double, confirming the growing appeal of Morocco’s urban and coastal hubs. 

Even Dakhla-Oued Eddahab is becoming a new magnet, doubling its share to 4.2%.

Work remains the top reason people choose Morocco, motivating 53.3% of foreign arrivals, especially in construction, services, agriculture and the informal economy. 

Family reunification accounts for 20.8%, and studies 14%, thanks to the rising visibility of Moroccan universities. Forced migration remains low at 2.5%.

The foreign population is also young and active. 80% are between 15 and 64 years old. More than half, 56%, are men, though certain nationalities like Filipinos and Ivorians have more women. Education levels are high: 38.9% hold university degrees.

Economically, 53.8% of foreign residents are working, mostly in the private sector. Students represent 17.5%, while the unemployed make up 4.6%. Among workers, 7.9% are independent street vendors, 4.9% run small businesses with a physical location, and 5.8% employ others.

Living patterns show a strong urban lifestyle: 57.9% live in apartments, and only 32.3% own their homes. Most households with foreign residents, 69.3%, are mixed, combining Moroccans and non-Moroccans.

According to the report, Morocco is now a structured migration destination, attracting young, educated and economically active populations. 

The real challenge, the institution says, will be designing integration and urban policies that keep pace with this new demographic reality, turning it into a factor of cohesion and development rather than tension.