Only 19% of Moroccan women participate in the labor force, one of the country’s biggest barriers to faster economic growth, according to a new World Bank framework that lays out a decade-long strategy to tackle the problem.
Women’s labor force participation dropped from 30.4% in 1999 to 19.8% in 2022, then slipped to 19.1% in 2024 and 19% in 2025.
The figure has fallen over the past two decades despite major gains in women’s education and health, exposing a growing disconnect between educational progress and employment opportunities, the bank said.
The findings are included in an annex to the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework for Morocco covering fiscal years 2026 to 2035, which identifies women’s economic inclusion as a key priority for Morocco’s long-term development.
The report says Morocco’s labor market fails many women on both the supply and demand sides. Too few quality jobs are being created, particularly in high-productivity sectors where educated women could find work.
At the same time, barriers including limited childcare, unsafe and inadequate public transportation, unequal unpaid care responsibilities and restricted access to finance continue to keep many women out of the workforce.
The World Bank points to persistent social norms that shape household decisions and labor market behavior, making it harder for women to seek, accept or remain in paid employment.
Rather than moving into new jobs, many women who previously worked in unpaid or informal agricultural activities have left the labor market altogether.
Unemployment also remains particularly high among educated women, suggesting that investments in education are not translating into employment.
The World Bank has repeatedly warned that Moroccan women are leaving the workforce instead of joining it.
In previous reports, the bank said female labor force participation dropped by nearly 11 percentage points over two decades and left Morocco with one of the world’s lowest rates of women’s participation in the labor market.
The report also found that married women are 35 percentage points less likely to participate in the labor force than unmarried women, with preschool-age children making it even harder for women to stay in work.
To tackle these barriers, the World Bank and Morocco’s new partnership framework will focus on three priorities: creating more jobs, improving transport and infrastructure, and expanding childcare and other services to help women stay in work.
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